posted 03-22-2002 06:42 PM         

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 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 daughter, 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. 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 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?

posted 03-22-2002 08:27 PM         

Sometimes when confronted with something hot, I get hard, just like an egg.