Tuesday 4 - Personal Snapshot and Carrots, Eggs & Coffee

Personal Snapshot

 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we try to get you talking, thinking and making new friends while you get to know old friends better.

Today is a hodgepodge of questions for you to ponder:

1.  What TV programs that everyone else loved/loves did/do  you  dislike and why? Conversely, what program did you love while everyone else thought it was awful? (or maybe a song, book..etc) I have never gotten into "The Office" or any of the Walkng Dead type shows.  We love "Somebody Feed Phil" (Thanks Terri) and I'm not sure how many people are even aware of that show.

2   Do you resent serving without thanks or do you see a higher purpose behind it? Not really.

3.  What flavor ice cream is your favorite and how do you like it served? (Sunday, Blizzard, cone, dish?) What toppings make your day? Probably chocolate, chocolate chip or raspberry chocolate chip.  I enjoy a good classic Blizzard such as M&M or Oreo Cookie.

4. How many pairs of shoes do you own? How many handbags? Do you use/wear them all? Should you weed them out?  I have no idea how many shoes or handbags I have, and I'm currently in the process of weeding them out.

Thanks for the fun questions this week Annie!

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I posted this story back in March of 2010 and I have since forgotten it.  It bears a repeat and a reminder to myself, so I'm re-posting today and I hope you enjoy it. I do not know who wrote this, but it's very good.

Photo from Internet

Carrots, Eggs & Coffee

I received this story in an e-mail from a friend and just had to share it here.  Hope you enjoy.

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 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 we all be COFFEE!!!!!!