It's Not The Hot Water But Who's In It!


A son complained to his father about his life and how things were so hard for him. He did not know how he was going to make it and just wanted to give up. He was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved a new one arose.

His father, a chef, took him to the kitchen. He filled three pots of water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil.

In one pot he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. he let them sit and boil, without saying a word. The son impatiently waited, wondering what this had to do with the previous discussion. In about 20 minutes the father turned off the burners. He fished the carrots and egg out of the boiling water and put them in separate bowls. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup.

Turning to his son, he asked, "Son, what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the son replied.

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

The son asked, "What does this mean, father?" The father explained that each item had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but it came out softened and weak. The egg had been fragile, with its thin shell protecting the liquid interior. But after sitting in the boiling water, its insides became hardened. Finally, the ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they went in the boiling water they had changed the water.

Looking the son in the eye, the father asked, "Which one are you, son?" When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond? You can allow circumstances to make you weak or hard boiled or you can change your environment and make things better.