A young woman went to her Grandmother 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.
Her Grandmother took her to the kitchen. She
filled three pots with water. 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 Granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she
replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the
carrots. She did and noted that they were soft and mushy. She then asked her to
take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hardened
egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee.
The daughter
smiled as she tasted its deep flavor and inhaled its rich aroma. The daughter
then asked, "What's the point, Grandma?"
Her Grandmother
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 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 Granddaughter. "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 lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a fluid spirit but,
after death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, 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 adversity, the pain, the hardship – into something quite wonderful.
When the water gets hot, it releases it's fragrance and flavor. If you are like
the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better, and change the
situation around you for the better.
When the hours are
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?
~ Author
Unknown
DIOGENES invites you to pull up a chair on this fine day and read posts from around the world. The writing may lean to the right...but that's the way Diogenes wants it! You may leave your opinion, but Diogenes rarely changes his! WELCOME!
-
Free Government ^ | 1997 | Sraff Free government assisted cell phone programs have become more popular, in part, due to the poor economy ...
-
The Dems went down to Georgia They was looking for a seat to steal They were in a bind, 'cause they were way behind They were willing t...