>>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 a 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 do you see?"
>>
>>"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," her daughter
>>replied.
>>
>>She brought her daughter closer and asked
>>her to feel the carrots. The daughter noted
>>that they were soft. She then asked her to
>>take an egg and break it. After pulling off
>>the shell, the daughter observed the
>>hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother
>>asked her daughter to sip the
>>coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted
>>its rich aroma.
>>
>>Then the daughter asked, "What does it mean,
>>mother?"
>>
>>Her mother explained, "Each of these
>>objects has faced the same adversity
>>-- boiling water -- but 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. They 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 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 once have a fluid spirit, but after
>>death, 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 a 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. When things are
>>at their worst, do I get better
>>and change the situation around me?
>>
>>How do you handle adversity? When the
>>hours are the darkest and trials are
>>their greatest, do you elevate to another
>>level?
>>
>>What gives you the greatest opportunity
>>for long term happiness? That is
>>your highest choice.
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