This was not quite right for the humor list but I did think some of you might get something out if it. Perhaps our newer technicians who are struggling for a client base can gain some wisdom from it. best, Greg >This was too good a life lesson not to pass on! A carrot, an egg and a >cup of coffee... You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. > >A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how >things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it >and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed >as one problem was solved, a new one arose. > >Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and >placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. 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 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?" >"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and >asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. > >The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After >pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the >mother asked the >daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. >The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" > >Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same >adversity ... boiling water. 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. Its thin outer shell >had protected its liquid interior, 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. > >"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your >door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?" > >Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with >pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? > >Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? > >Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial >hardship or >some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the >same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and >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 flavor. If you are like the bean, when things >are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. > >When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate >yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, >an egg or a coffee bean? > >The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they >just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest >future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in >life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. > >When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. >Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone >around you is crying. > Greg Newell Greg's piano Forté mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net
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