THE LESSON OF THE COFFEE BEAN
Author Unknown
Aug 2, 2007


A daughter complained to her father about how hard things were for
her. "As soon as I solve one problem," she said, "another one comes
up. I'm tired of struggling."

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen where he filled three pots
with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a
boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second, eggs, and in the last,
ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After a
while, he went over and turned off the burners. He fished out the
carrots and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed
them a bowl. He poured the coffee into a bowl. Turning to her he
asked, "Darling, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and
noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break
it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its
rich flavor.

She asked, "What does it mean, Father?" He explained that each of them
had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted
differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but
after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became
weak.

The egg was fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid
interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside
hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. By being in the boiling
water, they changed the water.

He asked his daughter, "When adversity knocks on your door, which are
you?"


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