I came across this very motivational story while reading limkitsiang’s blog, read on…
OOLONG TEA……
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of Oolong tea…You will never look at a cup of Oolong 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 Oolong tea. 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 Oolong out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”
“Carrots, eggs, and Oolong tea,” 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 Oolong. 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
Oolong tea was unique, however. After they were in the boiling water ,
they had changed 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 or a Oolong
tea?
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 Oolong tea? The tea 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 tea, 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 Oolong tea?
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; 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 OOLONG TEA !!!!!!!!!
