This is a story I read a long time ago, as a kid, and which I felt worth sharing. Though I read it then, I feel I relate with its depth only now:
"A teenager was very much disturbed by the troubles in her life. So one day, she took her troubles to her father, with whom she was very close. She said to him,"Dad, my life is full of problems all the time, of one sort or the other. I'm never happy with my life, and the way it is going. I'm worried about my future. What do I do??"
Her father, smiling, said, "Let's go to the kitchen." Puzzled, the daughter followed her father to the kitchen. There, her father mounted three pan on the stoves, and filled them with water. Then he said,"For the first case, let's put some eggs in the water,",and saying so, he popped an egg into the first pan. "Then", he said, "Let's boil a potato here," and he lowered a potato in the second pot. "And in the final pot, let's brew some coffee," and he poured some ground coffee powder into the third pot.
The daughter's puzzlement grew to anger,"Father!", she thundered, "I'm telling you about my problems and you're teaching me how to cook?! How can you be so insensitive!!"
Her father just smiled again and said,"Ah, it is time! Let us take out the contents of each pot now," and he emptied the egg and the potato in a plate and poured out the coffee in a cup. "Now," he said, "touch the egg first and tell me how it is."
The daughter obeyed, and said,"It is very soft."
"Yes, now touch the egg and tell me what you feel."
"It is hard boiled,", said the daughter.
"Here, have some coffee," he offered."How is it?"
"Ah, it is really refreshing."
"Now child, this is important. The potato, the egg and the coffee beans all faced the same test of boiling water. But they all reacted differently to it. The egg went in breakable, but came out hard and strong. The egg went in strong, but came out soft. The coffee beans released their flavour and changed the water into something new.
When we face difficulties in life, we all behave in different ways. It is up to you to choose how you'll act- Like the egg, the potato or the coffee beans."
The daughter nodded, having finally understood her father's reactions. "Yes dad, I know what you mean now. Thank you."
This story I read recently again after a long time, and felt that I needed to share it. A simple story with a great depth, isn't it?
"A teenager was very much disturbed by the troubles in her life. So one day, she took her troubles to her father, with whom she was very close. She said to him,"Dad, my life is full of problems all the time, of one sort or the other. I'm never happy with my life, and the way it is going. I'm worried about my future. What do I do??"
Her father, smiling, said, "Let's go to the kitchen." Puzzled, the daughter followed her father to the kitchen. There, her father mounted three pan on the stoves, and filled them with water. Then he said,"For the first case, let's put some eggs in the water,",and saying so, he popped an egg into the first pan. "Then", he said, "Let's boil a potato here," and he lowered a potato in the second pot. "And in the final pot, let's brew some coffee," and he poured some ground coffee powder into the third pot.
The daughter's puzzlement grew to anger,"Father!", she thundered, "I'm telling you about my problems and you're teaching me how to cook?! How can you be so insensitive!!"
Her father just smiled again and said,"Ah, it is time! Let us take out the contents of each pot now," and he emptied the egg and the potato in a plate and poured out the coffee in a cup. "Now," he said, "touch the egg first and tell me how it is."
The daughter obeyed, and said,"It is very soft."
"Yes, now touch the egg and tell me what you feel."
"It is hard boiled,", said the daughter.
"Here, have some coffee," he offered."How is it?"
"Ah, it is really refreshing."
"Now child, this is important. The potato, the egg and the coffee beans all faced the same test of boiling water. But they all reacted differently to it. The egg went in breakable, but came out hard and strong. The egg went in strong, but came out soft. The coffee beans released their flavour and changed the water into something new.
When we face difficulties in life, we all behave in different ways. It is up to you to choose how you'll act- Like the egg, the potato or the coffee beans."
The daughter nodded, having finally understood her father's reactions. "Yes dad, I know what you mean now. Thank you."
This story I read recently again after a long time, and felt that I needed to share it. A simple story with a great depth, isn't it?
