Live your Life like a Coffee Bean

Live your life as a coffee bean would

No one says that life is a bed of roses. We all know that it comes with its fair share of trials and tribulations.

However, our focus need not just be on the problems.

Solutions are at hand on most occasions, but are not necessarily always easy to find. Tackling these situations armed with a positive mindset is by far the best recommended course of action.

Exhibiting a dejected aura is a sure-fire path to grief - akin to admitting defeat when the battle has not even begun.

Personally,I cannot fathom why there are people out there who prefer to see the glass as half-empty rather than half-full. These are the same types who are already anxiously waiting for the worst before anything happens to them.

I am reminded a story told to me by a colleague recently about a young woman who went to her mother and told her how hard her life was and that she wasn't sure if she was going to make it through. She was tired of struggling and was on the verge of giving up. Her mother took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fame.

She then placed carrots into the first, eggs into the second and ground coffee beans in the third. After twenty minutes of silence and just watching the contents boil, she turned off the burners.

She fished the carrots and eggs out and placed them into separate bowls. She then ladled the coffee into a large mug. The mother handed the first bowl to her daugher and asked her to feel the carrots, She did and noted they were soft. The mother then asked her daughter to take an egg and break it. She did and, after peeling off the shell, handed her mother a hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother then asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich flavour and then asked: "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had undergone the same "trial" - being boiled in water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and relenting, but come out softened and weak. The fagile egg, with its liquid interior, become hardened after the ordeal.

The ground coffee beans, however, were unique. After they were steeped in the boiling water, they started to change the consistency of the liquid. She then went on to ask her daughter: "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

You may want to ponder these questions: Am I the carrot that seems strong, but who, with pain and affliction, wilts, becomes soft and loses my strength? Or am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart and a fluid spirit, but after a death, break-up or a financial crisis, becomes somewhat hardened? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the boiling water, the very circumstances that bring it pain. It releases its fragrant aroma and flavour within those adverse conditions.

If you are like the bean, then when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is at its darkest, you elevate yourself positively to a whole new level.

I'd like to encourage you to take a tip from this story: go forth and live life like a coffee bean!

Gosh, I feel like a low-fat latte right now. Join me?

Meaningful Stories

Dear class,

Hope you enjoyed the bbq session we had! If you want the photos, you can ask from me. You can also add me at my MSN: kslim85@hotmail.com.

Currently, I am quite busy and might not have time to send all of you the photos. Should be able to by December. And since it's the holidays, I shall post some stories for you to read.

TWO SEEDS

Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile soil.

The first seed said, "I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth's crust above me ... I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring ... I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!"

And so she grew...

The second seed said, "Hmmmm. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don't know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me I may damage my delicate sprouts ... what if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe."

And so she waited...

A yard hen scratching around in the early spring ground for food found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.

Lesson: Seize the day!

website: http://go.webassistant.com/wa/upload/users/u1000057/workspaces/30stories/#seeds

Happy Holidays

Dear 1T1,

There is a time for everything in our lives.

There was a time when you first stepped into JYSS and were uncertain about the school and your class. There was a time when you began to know your classmates, make friends and know your teachers. There was a time when you feel alone, angry or stressed by school matters. There was time when I taught the class and spend many hours with you. I told you there is a time for everything in our lives.

To play, to study. To have fun and know when to be serious. To be a good friend to others and be responsible for ourselves. To show respect to people and be ready for school. To know that the class is special, and for you to come together, it is more than just a coincidence. It is a collective fate, a shared destiny. It is something you shared with others and will be a time where you will remember for the rest of your life. Trust me, friendship is one of the most precious things in life.

Then the time has come when we said goodbye. I am very proud that some of you are able to make it to NA. You have worked hard and earned your place. Well done. Those who have not, do not lose heart. Do not be ashamed and more importantly do not allow yourself to be defeated. Some of you might realise the importance of studying now, I hope you understand that your studies are going to affect your future. There are always teachers there to help you. But in order for teachers to help you, you must first help yourself.

I believe that everyone in the class deserves to do well in everything. For those who do not, I hope you will change for the better. Next year, the class will be a very different one and no matter who is in the class, it is important that all of you must learn to care and show concern for one another.

We had our BBQ recently and I'm delighted to see that more than half the class showed up. For those who didn't, we miss you being there. I shall post some pictures here and I will always remember all of you, no matter where you are and where I am, I wish you all the best and enjoy the holidays!