Carrot, egg and the coffee bean

A YOUNG woman went to her mother and told

her about her life and how things were so
hard. She was tired of fighting and struggling. 
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She
filled three pots with water and placed each
on fire. In the first, she placed carrots, in
the second she placed eggs, and in the last
she placed ground coffee beans.
She let these sit and boil, without saying a
word. In about 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 do you see?"
The mother asked her to feel the carrots. She
did and noted that they were soft. She then
asked her to break an egg.

 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. 

Her mother explained that each of these

objects had faced the same adversity —
boiling water — but 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. 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.

"When adversity knocks, how do you
respond? Think of this: Which am I? Am I the
carrot that seems strong but, with pain and
adversity, do I become soft and lose
strength? Am I the egg that starts with a
malleable heart, but changes with the heat?
Did I have a fluid spirit but, after hardships,
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
their greatest, do you elevate to another
level? How do you handle adversity? 

What you would be? Carrot egg or Bean, Comment