The Story of the Coffee Bean
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A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her--her husband had cheated on her and she was devastated. She did not know how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
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Her grandmother took her into the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each one on a high fire. Soon the pots came to 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 you see."
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The young woman, looking confused, replied, "Carrots, eggs, and coffee." Her grandmother then brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The grandmother then asked her granddaughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the grandmother asked the granddaughter to sip the coffee. The granddaughter did so and smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The young lady then asked, "What does this all mean, grandmother?" Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. But each reacted differently.
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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 in the boiling water, its inside had become hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water!
"Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter. When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
So think about this: Life throws a lot at a person. It can be harsh, difficult, stressful, scary, challenging and sometimes just plain depressing. Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same on the outside, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or are you 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 its fragrance and flavor, and transforms its environment. If you are like the coffee bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?
How do YOU handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? We have the power inside of us to be the change. The happiest of people do not necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes their way.
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