Page 11zf - Carrot,Egg,Coffee

A CARROT, AN EGG, AND A CUP OF COFFEE

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling, as it seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her into the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil, so in the first pot she placed a carrot, in the second pot she placed an egg, and in the last pot she placed some ground coffee beans. She let each pot sit and boil without saying a word...

After about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrot out and placed it in a bowl. She pulled the egg out and placed it in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, 'Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrot. She did and noted that it was soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hardboiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity... boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile, its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting in the boiling water, its inside had become hardened. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After being in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or coffee beans?'

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Or am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Do I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, do I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee beans? The beans actually changed the hot water, the very circumstance that brought on the pain. When the water got hot, they released their fragrance and flavor. If you are like the beans, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or coffee beans?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

You might want to share this message with those people who mean something to you; to those who have touched your life in one way or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to those whose friendship you appreciate; and to those who are so meaningful in your life.

May we all be COFFEE!

For other 'Thoughts to Ponder' ... [click here]