She Tells
Grandma That She Was Just Cheated On… And Grandma Tells Her To Do THIS
Life is full of highs
and lows. And it’s during those lows that we are truly tested and we learn so
much about ourselves. We may become angry, we may grieve, and we may even
become depressed… but we can only hope to come out of these situations as
a better, stronger person. And to make it through such dark times, sometimes we
need the help and support of others. In particular, we may seek the advice of
those who may have more experience and wisdom than us.
In the short story below, a woman had just been cheated on
by her husband. She was obviously devastated and sought help from her
grandmother. Read Grandma’s response below and let us know what you think. I
think you’ll find that it rings true for so many of us…
This is a good lesson for all of us, no
matter what stage of life you’re in. You’ll see what I mean.
A young woman went to her grandmother
and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her–her husband had
cheated on her and she was devastated. 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 soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her grandmother 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 granddaughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you
see.’
‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she
replied. Her grandmother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.
She did and noted that they were soft. The grandmother then asked the
granddaughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she
observed the hard boiled egg.
Finally, the grandmother asked the
granddaughter to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled as she tasted its
rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked, ‘What does it mean, grandmother?’
Her grandmother 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.
“Whih are you?” she asked her
granddaughter. “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?
May you have enough happiness to make
you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human
and enough hope to make you happy.
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.
May we all be like the COFFEE.
