Carrot, Egg and Coffee
Carrot, Egg and Coffee...
(You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again...)
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. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one
arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with
water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the
first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and
in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil,
without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished
the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out
and placed them 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
carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked
the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell,
she observed the hard boiled 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 through the boiling water, its inside
became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were
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 a
coffee bean?"
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?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes
with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a
financial hardship or some other trial, have 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 bean? The bean actually changes the hot
water, the very cir****tance that brings the pain. When the
water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like
the bean, 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 a coffee bean?
Cathy
COFFEE BEAN here, front and center, reporting to duty! I gave up being the carrot and/or egg the minute I turned 18 and MOVED on with my life.
LOVED the story and Ive saved it to a word doc.
[whew]...I'm just glad you didnt toss a dessert into the mix, I woulda been all over that category! lol 
Kathy 
Dianna 
Most Active
Recent Topics
