Which are you.....?

Old 05-14-2010, 04:40 AM
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peaceful seabird
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Which are you.....?

I copied this from our Classic Reading Sticky at the top of this forum.
I needed the reminder today.

A Carrot An Egg and A Cup of Coffee
...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

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.
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Old 05-14-2010, 05:44 AM
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did someone say coffee?



thanks, pelican
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Old 05-14-2010, 07:29 AM
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Absolutely awesome! Thanks for posting!
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Old 05-14-2010, 08:58 AM
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When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate
yourself to another level?
Yes Ma'am. All though I use to at first: try to run over AH with the car, weep and shout accusations at the sky, feel all victimized.

Now a days I'm more inclined to face (what initially appears to be) dark days and great trials with a glad heart, knowing they'll be a transformational experience--if I look for the lesson and stay compassionate with myself and others.
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Old 05-14-2010, 09:07 AM
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I loved that! I think I used to be the carrot. I seemed strong to everyone who knew me, but when all this crap went down with XH, I just fell apart.

But, I think I am becoming more like the coffee with recent adversity, which is awesome because I love coffee.
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Old 05-14-2010, 02:59 PM
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Well done! Great passage!

Made me laugh a bit b/c: I am allergic to carrots, hard boiled eggs don't sit well on my stomach, and I love coffee - drink lots of coffee ...

I will not look at coffee the same way and thank you for that as it will always serve as a reminder for me that I have choices in how I respond to the events around me.
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Old 05-14-2010, 05:10 PM
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i was a carrot but i think im an egg now lol !! i think im gonna be an egg for some time !!
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Old 05-14-2010, 06:04 PM
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Carrot. Egg for the last year though.
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Old 05-15-2010, 05:00 AM
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Been in both the limp overcooked carrot and the wary, hard boiled egg stage at various times in my life. Come to think of it, I guess I still have a bit of that egg hiding inside me, ready to jump out when threatened.

But ah, aging seems to have turned me into a more coffee like person, at least I think I am neither too limp or hard nosed, and look for changing a situation rather than to collapse under it or batter my way thru.

Very good learning thread and posts.

God bless
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