So...at work we occasionally get these occasionally motivating emails full of platitudes and such by some motivational speaker (mostly they are hokey, but sometimes they are decent)...
This little nugget came in the latest...and since its about tea, I had to share it:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about herlife and how things
were so hard for her. She did not know how she was goingto make it and
wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting andstruggling. It seemed as
one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three potswith water and
placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil.In the first she
placed carrots; in the second she placed eggs, and in thelast she placed
Oolong tea. She let them sit and boil, without saying aword.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. Shefished the carrots
out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs outand placed them in a
bowl. The she ladled the Oolong out and placed it in abowl. Turning to her
daughter, she said, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and Oolong tea," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel thecarrots. She noted
they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter totake an egg and break
it. After pulling off the shell, she observed thehard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the Oolong.The daughter
smiled as she smelled its rich aroma. The daughter thenasked, "What does it
mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had facedthe same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. Thecarrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after beingsubjected to the boiling
water, it softened and became weak. The egg had beenfragile. Its thin outer
shell had protected its liquid interior, but aftersitting through the
boiling water, its insides became hardened. The Oolongtea was unique,
however. After it was in the boiling water, it hadchanged the water color
and taste.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter."When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, orOolong tea?"
Think about it. Which one are you? Are you the carrotthat seems strong, but
with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft andlose your strength?
Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, butchange with the
heat? Do you have a spirit that becomes hard and stiffafter a death, a
breakup, a financial hardship, or some other trial? Doesyour shell look the
same, but on the inside you're bitter and hardened?
Or are you like the Oolong tea? The tea actually changesthe hot water or
the very circumstances that bring the pain. When thewater gets hot, it
releases fragrance and flavor. If you're like the tea, whenthings are at
their worst, you get better and change the situationaround you.
(source: Dr. Zimmerman via Thalassa's work email)
This little nugget came in the latest...and since its about tea, I had to share it:
A young woman went to her mother and told her about herlife and how things
were so hard for her. She did not know how she was goingto make it and
wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting andstruggling. It seemed as
one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three potswith water and
placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil.In the first she
placed carrots; in the second she placed eggs, and in thelast she placed
Oolong tea. She let them sit and boil, without saying aword.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. Shefished the carrots
out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs outand placed them in a
bowl. The she ladled the Oolong out and placed it in abowl. Turning to her
daughter, she said, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and Oolong tea," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel thecarrots. She noted
they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter totake an egg and break
it. After pulling off the shell, she observed thehard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the Oolong.The daughter
smiled as she smelled its rich aroma. The daughter thenasked, "What does it
mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had facedthe same
adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. Thecarrot went in
strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after beingsubjected to the boiling
water, it softened and became weak. The egg had beenfragile. Its thin outer
shell had protected its liquid interior, but aftersitting through the
boiling water, its insides became hardened. The Oolongtea was unique,
however. After it was in the boiling water, it hadchanged the water color
and taste.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter."When adversity knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, orOolong tea?"
Think about it. Which one are you? Are you the carrotthat seems strong, but
with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft andlose your strength?
Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, butchange with the
heat? Do you have a spirit that becomes hard and stiffafter a death, a
breakup, a financial hardship, or some other trial? Doesyour shell look the
same, but on the inside you're bitter and hardened?
Or are you like the Oolong tea? The tea actually changesthe hot water or
the very circumstances that bring the pain. When thewater gets hot, it
releases fragrance and flavor. If you're like the tea, whenthings are at
their worst, you get better and change the situationaround you.
(source: Dr. Zimmerman via Thalassa's work email)