She arrived at her grandmother’s house, tears streaming, her heart heavy.
— “Grandma… my husband cheated,” she whispered. “I don’t know how to go on.
”
She sank into a chair.
— “I’m so tired of trying. Life just keeps breaking me.”
Without a word, her grandmother went to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water, set them on the stove, and waited for the water to boil.
Into each pot, she placed something different: carrots, eggs, and ground coffee. She didn’t say a word, simply letting them simmer.
When the time came, she turned off the heat and placed each item into a bowl.
— “Come here. Tell me what you see.”
— “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the granddaughter replied.
— “Touch the carrot,” her grandmother instructed. It was soft.
— “Now the egg.” She cracked it open — hard-boiled inside.
— “Taste the coffee.” Warm, rich, and bold.
Her grandmother looked at her gently.
— “All three faced the same boiling water, the same heat and pressure. But the carrot went in strong and came out weak. The egg seemed fragile, but inside it hardened. The coffee? It transformed the water itself.”
She smiled softly.
— “So, my dear… when life gets tough, are you the carrot, the egg, or the coffee bean?”