Carrot, egg or coffee bean?

I received an interesting forward from my friend, it actually makes you think, and that's a good thing. I will attach the story that goes behind it.

The story:

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?

And now, I answer the question for me that I have posed to you. Am I a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? I believe I am in general a coffee bean, but I think I go through phases. I'm like a carrot in general, because I am a very strong individual. However, when I get hit by a hardship or an adversity, depending on the type of adversity, I react differently. In the end however, I end up being a better person, and I become stronger. So, I always end up being the coffee bean, but sometimes, I'm an egg first. The most difficult thing is love and relationships. It's hard to learn to give your heart again. Of course, it is difficult, but with time, you will love again, and you will give your heart again. If the person was not intelligent/mature enough to realize what you had to offer, then they will end up suffering in the long run. I believe my recent heartbreak has made me a better person. Sure, I cried and I listened to a lot of power music and music that dissed men, but I am a better person. And I am even the classy person who will continue to be friends.

Someday, someone deserving will get to taste this delicious coffee bean. :)