Net Miles Of Smiles

 You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again. ….. 

         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. It seemed as one problem was solved,

 a new one arose.  

    Her mother took her to the kitchen.  She

 filled three pots with water and placed each on a

 high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first

 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 took 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. 

        Her mother brought her closer
and asked her

 to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they

 were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to

 take an egg and break it. After pulling off the

 shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. 

         Finally, the mother
asked the daughter to

 sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted

 its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does

 it mean, mother?” 

         Her mother explained
that each of these

 objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water.

 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 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 become soft and lose my strength? 

         Am I the egg that starts
with a malleable

 heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid

 spirit, but after a 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

 hardened heart?

         Or am I 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 hour is

 the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you

 elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle

 adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? 

         May you have enough
happiness to make you

 sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough

 sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you

 happy. 

         The happiest of people
don’t necessarily

 have the best of everything; they just make the most

 of everything that comes along their way. The

 brightest future will always be based on a forgotten

 past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go

 of your past failures and heartaches. 

         When you were born, you
were crying and

 everyone around you was smiling. 

         Live your life so at the
end, you’re the one

 who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. 

         You might want to send
this message to those

 people who mean something to you (I JUST DID); to

 those who have touched your life in one way or

 another; to those who make you smile when you really

 need it; to those who make you see the brighter side

 of things when you are really down; to those whose

 friendship you appreciate; to those who are so

 meaningful in your life. 

         If you don’t send it,
you will just miss out

 on the opportunity to brighten someone’s day with

 this message!  
         May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!