Carrots, eggs, and coffee
June 27, 2009 by admin
When it comes to chain mail I usually skim over it, archive it, and give it little thought afterwards. However, my dad sent me the life lesson below and I thought it was appropriate for our blog since it combined both food and life.
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A young woman was confiding in her mom, telling her mother about how tough her life had become. It always seemed that as one problem was resolved a new one arose and for that reason, she was ready to just give up.
Knowing that actions speak louder than words, her mother went to the kitchen and placed three pots full of water on stove. She turned the heat on high underneath each, brought the water to a boil then placed carrots in one pot, an egg in the second pot, and coffee grounds in the third. After letting each simmer for a little while she took out the carrots, the egg and a ladle full of water from the coffee pot and placed them in individual bowls.
At that point the mother asked her to feel the carrots and she stated the obvious, “They are soft.” Her mother instructed her to peel the egg shell and observe the hard boiled egg. Finally, her mother asked her to sample the coffee water, which had become sweet and aromatic.
At this point the mother explained: “Each of these items faced the same adversity – boiling water – yet each reacted differently. The carrots were strong, hard and unrelenting but once boiled they became soft and weak. The egg was fragile with just a thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior but after facing the boiling water it’s insides became hardened. The coffee grounds, however, had done what the other two could not – they changed the water.”
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I think the question here is pretty simple: who do we become when faced with adversity? Are we going to fall apart when we’re hit with hard times (like the carrot)? Or like the egg are we going become hardened on the inside even though we look the same on the outside? Hopefully we can be the coffee and make the best of a bad situation.
Granted it’s not a perfect metaphor but it’s a good addition to Tupac’s “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” motto. Let adversity make you stronger, just be sure not to lose who you are in the process.
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Rest in peace Jeremy. As the saying goes, I assume that when you were born you were crying and everyone else was smiling. I guarantee, though, that when it was all said and done for you last year, you were smiling and the rest of us were crying. As much as I miss you, I take solace in my belief that you’re watching out for Jasmine from above like you used to watch out for me down here.
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