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 that 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 a boil. In the
first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the third she
placed 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 do you see?’ ‘Carrots, eggs, and
coffee,’ the young woman replied. The mother brought her closer and asked her
to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her
to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the
hardboiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled
as she smelled its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, ‘What does it mean,
mother?’
Her mother explained her that though each of
these objects 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 hardened! The coffee beans were unique, however. After being
subjected to the boiling water, they had changed the water.
‘Which one are you?’ the mother 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 one am I? Am I the
carrot that seems strong but in times of pain and adversity, do I wilt, 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
break-up, or a financial hardship, does my shell look the same, but on the
inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a 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 flavour.
If you are like the bean, when things are at
their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours
are the darkest and trials are at their greatest, do you elevate to another
level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
We find that many people Quit when things go
wrong for them. It’s when things go wrong that you should not quit. Ella
Wheeler Wilcox mentions in the poem ‘Worth While’ It is easy enough to be
pleasant when life flows by a song, but the man worthwhile is the one who will
smile when everything goes dead wrong. You have to face any situation with an
equanimous mind and gladly accept whatever may be the end result.
Be blissful.
S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com
