A young woman went to her grandmother and shared with her the struggles of her life. She told her that her husband had cheated on her, and she was deeply shocked.
The young woman didn’t know how she would move forward. She felt like giving up. She told her grandmother that she was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed like whenever one problem was solved, another one quickly appeared.
Her grandmother listened attentively and then took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high flame. They waited until the water began to boil.
In the first pot, her grandmother placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last one, she placed ground coffee beans. She let them boil for some time without saying a word.
After 20 minutes, she turned off the stove. She took the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. Then, she took the eggs and placed them in a bowl as well. Finally, she poured the coffee into a bowl.
She then asked her granddaughter, “Tell me, what do you see?”
The young woman replied, “Carrots, eggs, and coffee.”
Her grandmother then asked her to touch the carrots. The young woman did so and said that they were soft. Next, her grandmother asked her to take an egg and break it. She cracked the shell and found a hard-boiled egg. Finally, her grandmother asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled as she savored its rich aroma.
The young woman then asked her grandmother, “What does all this mean, Grandma? What’s the point of this?”
The wise and patient grandmother explained that each of these items had faced the same challenge (boiling water), but each reacted differently. The carrot was strong, firm, and unyielding, but after 20 minutes in the boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg, on the other hand, was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid inside, but after sitting in the boiling water, its inside became hard. The coffee beans were unique. After they were placed in the boiling water, they changed the water itself.
The grandmother then asked, “Which one are you? When a problem knocks at your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
Think about this – which one are you? Are you like the carrot, which seems strong, but when faced with pain and adversity, you wilt and lose your strength? Or are you like the egg, which starts with a soft heart, but after facing challenges, becomes hardened and tough?
Does your shell look the same, but on the inside, have you become bitter and tough with a hardened spirit and heart? Or are you like the coffee bean? As you saw, the coffee bean changes the boiling water, the very thing that causes the pain.
When the water gets hot, the coffee beans release their fragrance and flavor. If you are like the coffee bean, when things are at their worst, you become better and change the situation around you. When the hour is darkest and trials are greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?
Now, I ask you – how do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
I wish for each of you to have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough challenges to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to keep you happy. Many happy people don’t necessarily have the best of everything, but they make the most of everything that comes their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t move forward in life until you let go of past failures and heartaches.
Think about this – when you were born, you cried, and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that, in the end, you’re the one smiling while everyone around you is crying.