"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 3 pots with water. In the 1st, she placed carrots, in the 2nd she
placed eggs and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit
and boil without saying a word. In about 20 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," she replied. She brought her closer &
asked her
to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked
her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed
the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter
smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. "What's the
point, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had 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.
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 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 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. 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 to another level? How do
you handle Adversity? ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?"