Every exceptional child is a reflection of their parents’ hard work and sacrifices, embodying the wisdom of parenting. A widely circulated story on the internet may offer some inspiration to parents.
One day, a young woman expressed her confusion and weariness about life to her mother, complaining about how everything seemed difficult and overwhelming, feeling like problems never ceased – as soon as one was solved, a new one arose.
Upon hearing this, the mother didn’t say a word. Instead, she silently led her daughter into the kitchen. There, she poured water into three pots and placed them over high heat. Into the first pot, she added some raw carrots, a few raw eggs into the second, and ground coffee beans into the third.
As the water in the pots began to boil, the mother remained quiet throughout the process. While her daughter grew impatient, she was curious about what her mother was doing. About 20 minutes later, the mother turned off the heat, took out the cooked items, and placed them in three separate bowls.
After completing these tasks, she turned to her daughter and asked, “My dear, what do you see?” The daughter replied, “Carrots, eggs, and coffee.”
Then, the mother asked her daughter to come closer and feel the carrots. As she touched them, she noticed the carrots had become soft. The mother then asked her to peel one of the eggs. After doing so, she found that the cooked egg felt firm and resilient. Lastly, the mother let her daughter take a sip of the freshly brewed coffee. The rich aroma filled the air, and her daughter’s once serious face immediately lit up with a smile.
While sipping her coffee, the young woman asked with some confusion, “Mom, what are you trying to tell me by doing all this?”
The mother explained meaningfully that these three items faced the same adversity – boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot, hard before entering the pot, softened after being cooked. The egg, fragile and breakable, hardened through boiling. The coffee, in powder form, didn’t change in the water but transformed the boiling water into a fragrant cup of coffee. Moreover, the higher the water temperature, the stronger the aroma.
“Which one do you want to be?” the mother asked her daughter. “When faced with adversity, how will you respond? Will you be a carrot, an egg, or coffee beans?”
The daughter suddenly understood, grasping the deep intent behind her mother’s actions. While this lesson might not immediately solve her problems, she indeed learned how to face life’s hardships and setbacks in the future.
After reading this story, each of us may take a moment to reflect on our attitudes towards life. When encountering difficulties, do you become weak and powerless like a carrot? Or do you, like the egg, outwardly unchanged but internally stronger and more composed after life’s trials?
Or, are you like the coffee bean, able to exude fragrance no matter how challenging the circumstances, making the surroundings more beautiful?