Life lesson, Carrots, Eggs or Coffee

 This is a story that I saw on Facebook that a friend shared and I thought I would add it here for all to read.

Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee. Which are you? She asked her grand-daughter.

A young woman went to her grandmother 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 grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first pot 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 granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

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

"What does it mean, grandmother?"

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water, but 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 granddaughter.

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

Think of this: Which are you?

Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength?

Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or are you 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 hours are at their darkest and trials are their greatest so you elevate to another level?

So which are you?

~Author Unknown

Simply Preparing

As we simply prepare for things, I am reminded each week of all the things we need to prepare for. Even just the little things like a flat tire you need to prepare for!

Right now in the news is the threat of Hurricane Isaac. I hope people have taken into consideration and learned from former storms to have a plan, have a kit, and simply be prepared. But you do not have to wait for big storms to come to prepare. Everyday we have things we need to prepare for.

This is what happened to us Friday night/Saturday morning.

Friday night around 10pm, My daughter had a bad blow out on one tire while driving. She was fine, never lost control. She did what we taught her when she started driving years ago. She slowed down, turned on her hazard lights, slowly got over to the side of the road, found a public busy parking lot and parked. Once she parked (under a big light), she called us and my husband went to help her. They did not get home until after midnight.

Saturday morning we had very bad and severe thunderstorms come through our area. I woke up to the rain, wind then the thunder. A few minutes later the NOAA weather radio went off telling us of the severe thunderstorm, the phone alerts went of on the phones, all at once.  Then there are flooding alerts that then followed. This all started at 5am on Saturday, rain started at midnight. By the end of the day we received over 10 inches of rain. The neighborhood was flooded, most roads were impassable. We are lucky enough to live where we personally were not flooded, but all around us was.  Now I really know why we had to but flood insurance before buying the house! We never lost power.

Since I was up at 5am with the storm I made biscuits, coffee, etc. I then put water into the 5 gallon water cooler, just in case. Put all kits in the same place.

9am comes and a tornado warning comes across the weather radio. We all put our shoes on! I then put all kits into the bathroom, (our safer room) had my daughter put the harness on the cat, grab our purses, blankets etc. Husband watched out one side of the house, I watched the other side of the house, had all 3 TVS on the local weather until the threat passed. We are happy to say the tornado did NOT form near us! Whew!!!

Sad thing is we had to go to the bank to deposit paycheck, get a tire fixed from the evening before. So we had to buy a new tire, have it put on and such. This is also the day I had planned to go grocery shopping. Saturday is errand day anyway, right. lol We were able to do all these things, since we knew ways in and out of the neighborhood even with flooded streets.

All this happened with out warning, all happened with in 24 hours.

We could get by with out fixing the tire, and just used my husbands car if we had to, I did not have to go to the store if I could not of and well the check depositing could of waited until Monday or I could of done it online.

So in 24 hours we had a bad blow out tire, severe thunderstorms with lots of wind, 10 inches of rain, flooding, tornado warning. Non the less we had a busy weekend. But we were prepared for all. Taught our daughter what to do late at night in the dark if she gets a flat tire, and she did it!!! Had out kits for the tornado, etc. We all knew what to do with out being told. We just did it! Husband has his jobs, I have my jobs, Daughter has her jobs. Warning comes across the radio and we DO it! The reason why we just do our jobs, is we have a plan, we talk about our plan and we do out plan.

I look at the warnings as real as they are, glad nothing happens and if they do we know what to do.

Glad this weekend is over and all is good!