Food for thought

luvtodecorate

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of 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.
It's 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 circumstance 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?

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.

It's easier to build a child than repair an adult.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of
everything; they
just make the most of everything that comes along 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 at the end, you're the one who is smiling and
Everyone
around you is crying.

• Login or register to post comments