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 began to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the last she placed roasted and ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about 20 minutes she turned off the burners, 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 them in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”
“Carrots, Eggs and Coffee”, she replied.
The mother brought her daughter closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother 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 does it mean, Mother?”
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity – boiling water – but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in hard, strong 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 boiling water, they had changed the water. ‘Which are you?” she asked her daughter. When adversity knocks on your door how do you respond?
🌱 Lesson
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, break-up, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened? 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, the roasted and ground coffee beans releases the fragrance and flavour. 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?
“Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.” — James Lane Allen
Count your blessings…. Not your problems. You are what you believe you are…BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
🪞 Reflection
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? In the face of adversity, which one are you? Do you wilt like the carrot, harden like the egg, or change the environment like the coffee bean?
ℹ️ Disclaimer
This story is part of a collection of anonymous parables and inspirational tales gathered over time. The original author is unknown. If this story belongs to you, we’d love to give credit—please reach out.
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