Nice Thought For Today

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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?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain

and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?

Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial

hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my

shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff

spirit and hardened heart?!

Or am I 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 the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the 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?

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.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they

just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest

future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in

life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone

around you is crying.