I came across this article that I have kept as a reminder for when life gets challenging. I have shared this wisdom in many of my talks and with friends, now, I would like to share it with you. The author of this article is unknown, but I have been thankful that he/she was willing to share this wisdom.
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. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the last she placed 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” she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her daughter to take an egg and break it open. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. And finally, her mother asked her to sip some of the coffee.
The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. Her daughter then asked, “What’s the point, Mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects 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 boing 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 break-up, a financial hardship, or some other trial, have become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside, I am bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
- Or, am I like the coffee bean? The bean changes the water, the very circumstances 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 there worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
Even when the hours are the darkest and trials are at their greatest, do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?