Caregiver TestWhat are you?
A carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
A young woman went to her mother 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.
Her mother 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
daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked
her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft and mushy. She
then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she
observed the hardened egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The
daughter smiled, as she tasted its deep flavor and inhaled its rich aroma. The
daughter then asked, "What's the point, mother?"
Her mother 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 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 daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door,
how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain
and adversity, do I wilt and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a
fluid spirit but after death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other
trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the
inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the
very circumstance that brings the adversity, the pain, and the hardship into
something quite wonderful.?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 for the better. When the hours are
the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?
Has caregiving become your number one responsibility? How do you handle
caregiving? ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN? Are you out of time?
Out of energy? Have you postponed or stopped caring for yourself? Are you
neglecting yourself to care for your loved one?? Are you a carrot or an egg and
really desire to be a coffee bean?
I've searched for the author of this text. I'd love to give credit for
the work.? Please let me know if you have information about the author.
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