Once upon a time, there was a young woman who was feeling discouraged and overwhelmed with her life. She went to her wise grandmother and told her about all the challenges she was facing. Her grandmother listened to her intently and then took her to the kitchen.
She filled three pots with water and placed them on the stove to boil. In the first pot, she placed some potatoes, in the second pot she placed some eggs, and in the third pot she placed some coffee beans.
After a while, she turned off the stove and asked her granddaughter to take a potato, an egg, and a spoonful of coffee and examine them closely.
The young woman was confused but did as she was told. Her grandmother then asked her to peel the potato, break the egg, and smell the coffee.
The granddaughter was still puzzled but did as she was instructed. Her grandmother then asked her to taste the potato, the egg, and the coffee.
“What does it all mean, grandma?” the granddaughter asked.
Her grandmother smiled and explained, “Each of these items has faced the same adversity – boiling water. But each has reacted differently. The potato went in hard, strong, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior, until it was put in boiling water. Then the inside became hard. But the coffee beans are unique. They change the water and create something new.”
The grandmother continued, “Which are you? When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”
The young woman realized that she had been a potato, becoming weak and soft when faced with adversity. She wanted to be a coffee bean, to change the situation and create something new.
This story teaches us that we all face adversity in our lives, but it’s up to us how we react to it. We can choose to become weak and give up, like the potato. We can become hard and bitter, like the egg. Or we can choose to be like the coffee bean, to change the situation and create something new.
