A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her, she did not know she was going to make it and want to give up. She tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her father, a cook, took her to the kitchen, he filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire.

Soon the pots came to a boils, In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He led them sit and boil, without saying a word.

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners, he fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and place it in a mug. Turning to her, he asked, ‘Darling, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee.” she replied.

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

“What does it mean, Father?” She humbly asked.

He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and weak. The egg had being fragile, its skin 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 put in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” he asked his daughter.

“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?