Road Scholar: Are You A Carrot, Egg, or A Coffee Bean?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She didn’t know how she would make it and wanted to give up.  She was tired of fighting and struggling.  It seemed that every time she solved one problem, a new one appeared. 

Her mother took her to the kitchen.  She filled three pots with water.  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 put them in a bowl.  She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.  Then, she ladled the coffee into a bowl.  Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

She 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 hard-boiled egg.  Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee.  The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, “What’s the point, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity – boiling water – but each reacted differently.  The carrot started hard and strong but came out weak and mushy. The egg started with a soft inside and a tough shell, but it came out hard on the inside. The coffee beans were special: “They changed the water. It used hardship to elevate itself and accomplish greatness.”

“Which one will you choose to be?” she asked the daughter. 

 “Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?