A twenty-something daughter went to her mother and told her
how badly things seemed to be going in her life. She cried as she
said she didn't know what to do. 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 the stove. Soon the pots came to boil.
In the first she placed carrots. In the second she placed eggs.
And, in the last she placed some coffee beans.
In about 10 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
poured it in a cup.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied, smiling.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.
She did, and remarked that they were soft, and overcooked.
The mother then asked her daughter to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The
daughter smiled as she tasted its rather strong aroma.
The daughter then asked, "So, what does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the
same adversity--boiling water. 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 shell had protected its soft interior,
but after sitting in the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
However, the coffee beans were unique. 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?"
