Grandparents often provide comforting and insightful guidance when we need it most. In this story, a grandmother offers her granddaughter heartfelt advice during a challenging time. The author of this piece is unknown, but its wisdom speaks to a universal truth that everyone can benefit from.
She turned to her grandmother for help, struggling to survive and unsure of how to move forward. Her grandmother brought out a carrot, eggs, and coffee. She explained that these represented the three things needed to succeed: strength, faith, and determination. With these, the young woman would be prepared to face any challenge. Her grandmother then led her into the kitchen, placing three pots filled with water on the stove. The pots soon began to boil. Into the first, she added carrots, into the second, eggs, and into the third, ground coffee beans. The grandmother watched them boil in silence.
After a while, she turned off the burners. She took the carrots out and placed them in a bowl, then did the same with the eggs. She poured the coffee into a jar.
“Carrots are good for your vision,” the grandmother noted. “Eggs benefit your brain. And coffee has an energizing effect.”
The grandmother asked what her granddaughter had observed. The granddaughter listed the carrots, eggs, and coffee. The grandmother asked her to feel the carrots, which were now soft. She then asked her to crack an egg, revealing that it was hard-boiled. Finally, she had her taste the coffee, which brought a smile to her face. The granddaughter then asked about the significance of these items. Despite all being exposed to boiling water, each had reacted differently.
The boiling water affected the coffee beans, carrots, and eggs in distinct ways. The carrots became soft and lost their hardness. The fragile egg, protected by its thin shell, became hard inside after boiling. The coffee beans, however, transformed the water.
The grandmother asked her granddaughter if she wanted carrots, potatoes or coffee beans. Thinking about this, the banana asked, “Am I a skinny carrot at worst? Am I weak, weak, or strong?” Carrots represent people who initially seem strong but have been weakened by pain and suffering.
“Or, am I like an egg, which starts with a flexible spirit but becomes stiff and hardened after experiencing loss, heartbreak, financial difficulty, or other challenges? Eggs symbolize people who change from having a pliable heart to a hardened one due to tough experiences.”
“Do I maintain the same outward appearance, but become resentful and tough inside, with a rigid spirit and hardened heart?”
In contrast, the coffee bean improves the boiling water. Even in the worst circumstances, the bean changes and enhances its environment. It grows stronger when the challenges are greatest and the hours darkest.
The saying, “Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean when faced with adversity?” made me reflect on my own reactions under pressure. Share this story with your family and friends to help them reflect on their own responses.
