The Story of The Carrot, The Egg, and The Coffee Bean
A young girl 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. It seemed that, as one problem was solved, a new one
arose.
Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water
and placed each on a high fire.
Soon the pots came to a boil. 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," the young girl replied.
The grandmother 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 granddaughter smiled as she tasted its rich
aroma.
The granddaughter then asked, "What does it mean, grandmother?"
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
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?" the
grandmother 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 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 breakup, or a financial hardship, 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,
do 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?
