English Original
A young woman, overwhelmed by life's hardships and ready to give up, went to her mother for advice. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and brought them to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots; in the second, eggs; and in the last, ground coffee beans.
After about twenty minutes, she turned off the heat. She placed the carrots, eggs, and coffee into separate bowls and asked her daughter what she saw. "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the daughter replied.
The mother asked her to feel the carrots. They had softened. She then asked her to break an egg. Its inside had hardened. Finally, she asked her to taste the coffee. The daughter smiled at its rich aroma.
Her mother explained: "Each faced the same adversity—boiling water—but reacted differently. The carrot, initially strong, became soft and weak. The fragile egg, with a liquid interior, became hardened inside. But the coffee beans were unique: they changed the water itself."
"Which are you?" the mother asked. "When adversity knocks, how do you respond? Do you wilt like the carrot, harden like the egg, or transform your circumstances like the coffee bean? The coffee bean releases its fragrance and flavor when the water is hottest. In your darkest hours, do you elevate yourself and change the situation around you?"
中文翻译
一位年轻女子被生活的艰辛压垮，准备放弃，于是向母亲寻求建议。母亲带她进了厨房。她在三个锅里装满水并烧开。第一个锅里放了胡萝卜，第二个放了鸡蛋，最后一个放了咖啡粉。
大约二十分钟后，她关掉了火。她把胡萝卜、鸡蛋和咖啡分别放进碗里，问女儿看到了什么。女儿回答：“胡萝卜、鸡蛋和咖啡。”
母亲让她摸摸胡萝卜。胡萝卜变软了。接着让她敲开鸡蛋。鸡蛋内部变硬了。最后让她尝尝咖啡。女儿闻着浓郁的香气笑了。
母亲解释道：“它们都面临着同样的逆境——沸水——但反应却不同。起初坚硬的胡萝卜变得软弱。外壳脆弱、内部液态的鸡蛋，内心变得坚硬。但咖啡豆是独特的：它改变了水本身。”
“你是哪一个？”母亲问。“当逆境来敲门，你如何应对？你是像胡萝卜一样枯萎，像鸡蛋一样变得坚硬，还是像咖啡豆一样改变你周围的环境？咖啡豆在水最热的时候释放出香气和风味。在你最黑暗的时刻，你是否能提升自我，改变你周遭的境遇？”