A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.
She told her grandma that her husband had cheated on her and she was shocked.
The young woman didn’t know how she was going to make it. She wanted to give up on life. She told her grandma that she was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her grandma heard her story and she took her to the kitchen. Her grandma filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. They waited until the water started to boil.
In the first pot, her grandma placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil and didn’t say anything – not even a word.
After 20 minutes she turned off the stove. She took the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. And finally, she poured the coffee into a bowl.
Then, she asked her granddaughter: “Tell me what you see.”
The young woman said: “Carrots, eggs, and coffee.”
Then, her grandmother brought her closer and asked her to touch the carrots. The young woman did and said that they were soft. The grandmother then asked the granddaughter to take an egg and break it. So, she broke the eggshell and saw the hardboiled egg. And finally, her grandma asked the granddaughter to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
Then, the young woman asked her grandmother: ‘What does it mean, grandmother? What’s the point of this?”
So, the old and wise woman explained that each of these objects had faced the same problem (boiling water) and all of them reacted differently. The carrot was strong, hard, and unrelenting. But, after 20 minutes in the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had become 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.
So, the old woman asked her granddaughter: “Which are you? When a problem knocks at your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”
You should 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? Or, 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 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 hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? You’ve seen that the coffee bean 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 yourself to another level?
And now, I’m asking you – How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
I wish that all of you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough challenges to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy. Many happy people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
Think about it – when you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that in the end, you’re the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. We hope you enjoyed this article and don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family. Thank You.
