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View Full Version : A feel good proverb: Stay Strong TE Members



cherinyc
10-13-2006, 05:15 AM
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. 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 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 daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the 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 rich aroma The daughter then asked, "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 outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became 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 daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?


***May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.***

Duck on Wheels
10-13-2006, 05:39 AM
Sweet! I need to remember that one! I just learned that the grad students here call one senior male colleague of mine "Yoda". When I heard that I said I wanted to be known as the oracle from Matrix. If that catches on, this should come in very handy. Cookies I'm already good at, but I lag behind in metaphorical kitchen wisdom. ;)

Artisan
10-13-2006, 06:35 PM
I love reading stuff like this. Thanks for sharing!

latelatebloomer
10-14-2006, 05:43 AM
great story, cheri! Sometime when you're around a bookstore, go to the kid's section and check out "Zen Shorts" & "3 Questions" by Jon J. Muth
Little stories can really change your head!

hey Duck, cookies & wisdom go together! During our honeymoon in Greece (in my thoughts as today is our 16th anniversary:D) we went to Delphi, site of the oracle, temples, etc. Well, before all the (male) bureaucratic religious hoo-ha, it was a place to worship the Goddess. Off to the side, you can still visit the little mountain brook that runs along a rock wall. Carved into the wall, niches for leaving offerings to the Goddess. The offerings were........... cookies! So when you take a moment to have a cookie and think a deep thought (or none at all) it's a religious act!