May We All Be Coffee

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Food for thought!
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 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 theheat?
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 Ibitter 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.

You might want to send this message to those people who mean
something to you (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one
way
or another; to those who make you smile when you really need it; to
those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really
down; to those whose friendships you appreciate; to those who are so
meaningful in your life.

If you don't send it, you will just miss out on the opportunity to
brighten someone's day with this message!



MAY WE ALL BE COFFEE!!!!!!!!!

  

Prepare to Win!

Monday, October 05, 2009

The will to win is important but the preparedness to win is essential.

Remember that good luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity. Therefore, there is no substitute for preparedness in all of our activities.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CARLARCO 10/5/2009 7:07PM

Thanks for the reminder. Report Inappropriate Comment

Compete Against Yourself!

Sunday, October 04, 2009

The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.

- Steve Young

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MNABOY 10/4/2009 6:30PM

Good to go, I know I can take that old geezer! Report Inappropriate Comment

Having a Lot to Eat Without Eating a Lot

Saturday, October 03, 2009

After the grandsons' football games, we went to Sweet Tomatoes. Being careful in my choices on the veggie buffet allowed me to leave feeling full but when I posted my calories, the dent was not too deep. All in all a good experience.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MNABOY 10/4/2009 6:31PM

Who and what is "Sweet Tomatoes"? Sounds like a reeal neat place. Where are you located? Report Inappropriate Comment

JE_69_MO 10/3/2009 7:57PM

Doesn't that feel great?? Report Inappropriate Comment

JADEBUTTERFLY 10/3/2009 7:39PM

Great Job!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Just because you are broke doesn't mean you are poor.

Friday, October 02, 2009

I've never been poor, only broke.
Being poor is a frame of mind.
Being broke is only a temporary situation.

Mike Todd

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SARAWMS48 10/2/2009 11:28AM

While we were raising our six kids on one income, I tried my best to make them feel that they could have anything they were willing to work for. Interestingly, they vary greatly in how they perceive those years. The older two remember me as fulltime mom who had little ones at home and made homemade meals, clothes, etc. They were in college when I went back to work full-time. The younger kids were 11, 13, 15 and 17. Those kids remember a household with two incomes and more money where they were expected to fix dinner because I also had night classes two days a week. I remember the stay at home years as my rich years when I had time for my family. Report Inappropriate Comment

VIBAUSTIN 10/2/2009 9:24AM

You are so right. I was brought up in a poor household and I never realized it until I was grown. My mother was widowed at 45 years old with 7 childen. She was the most fantastic person and made do with what we had. We were poor but, I never felt broke. Report Inappropriate Comment

CNTRYMUM2 10/2/2009 9:13AM

With the economy being the way it is, I believe this quote applies to many households. Thank you for sharing!! Report Inappropriate Comment

MONICAT1977 10/2/2009 8:57AM

I love the positive spin! Thanks for sharing! Report Inappropriate Comment

ZVER1028 10/2/2009 8:49AM

I really needed to hear that! Broke - not poor. There is a lot of broke going on in this house LOL. Thanks for sharing! Lisa Report Inappropriate Comment

ALB@ATIME 10/2/2009 8:47AM

good one,i'll have to remember that one Report Inappropriate Comment