Just What ARE we anyway?

I'm re-running this blog post from 2009 - it's a lovely story, worth repeating.


There had to be a reason I love coffee so much! When a dear friend sent me this story months ago, I saved it for a blog to share over the holidays. I hope this will give you some gentle thoughts and perhaps a new appreciation for the humble coffee bean.


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 one on a high fire. Soon the three pots came to boil. In the first pot 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.

After 20 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 and egg and break it. After peeling 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. Then the daughter asked, "What does all this mean?"

"This is about adversity - the boiling water. Each thing we put into the boiling pot 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 the liquid interior, but after sitting in the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they changed the water!

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. When adversity knocks on your door, how do YOU respond? Are you a carrot, and egg or a coffee bean?"

Think about 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, and egg or a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along. 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.

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

This is the "official" end of the story.

I wish all of you Peace and Happiness this Holiday Season!
Hugs,
suZen