The Coffee Bean Story
“A young woman struggling with life, went to her mother and told her how her life was miserable and hard for her. She was tired of fighting and struggling with her problems and wanted to give up.
Her mother, without saying much, took the young lady to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first pot, she placed carrots, in the second one she placed eggs, and the last she placed some ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil without saying a word to her daughter. The daughter wondered what her mother was trying to do while she was complaining about her life. After some time, the mother turned down the burner, fished the carrots and the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out into a cup. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Dear, tell me what you see?”. “A Carrot, egg and coffee.” she replied.
“Look closer and feel the carrots,” said the mother. The daughter noted that they were soft. The mother then asked her to take an egg and break it. The interior of the egg was hard boiled. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face
The daughter then asked, “What does this mean, mother?”
All the three items, carrot, egg, and coffee went through the same situation, the boiling water. However, each reacted differently. The carrot was strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg was fragile with the thin outer shell and its liquid interior. But after being in the boiling water, it hardened its interior. The ground coffee beans were unique, as it came to the boiling water, it changed the water and gave its incredible aroma.
“What are you?” she asked the daughter. “How do you respond in difficult situations? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?’”
Be a coffee bean this week. Shape the environment around you instead of being shaped by difficult situations.
I appreciate you.
-JP