Have you heard the story of a young woman who was dealing with a crisis in her marriage? She found that her husband had been unfaithful. She was in a lot pain. She was angry. Humiliated. Sad. She knew she could trust the wise counsel of her grandmother. One day, as they sat in her grandmother’s kitchen, she told her story. When she was finished, she asked, “Grandmother, what shall I do? How do I move on?”
Her grandmother asked her to come closer to the stove where she had put a pan of carrots on to boil. She asked the young woman to feel the carrots. When she did, she noted that they were soft. The grandmother then asked the granddaughter to take an egg from a bowl in the refrigerator. She asked her to break the egg open. When she pulled off the shell, a hard-boiled egg was revealed.
Then, the grandmother poured a cup of coffee for each of them. She asked the granddaughter to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled as she enjoyed its rich aroma and full flavor. The granddaughter then asked, “What does it all mean? What are you saying, grandmother? What do carrots, eggs and coffee have to do with anything?”
Her grandmother laughed and then explained that each of these objects had faced an adversity, the same adversity: boiling water. Each had been thrown into a situation beyond their control. It was not their choice, but they had to deal with it. Each reacted differently to the situation. The carrot went in strong and hard. But after being in the boiling water, it softened. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it became hard inside. The ground coffee beans were most unique. After time in the boiling water, they transformed the water. The coffee beans changed the situation around them by changing themselves.
Life is not about what happens to you. It’s about how you react to what happens to you. And your reactions are based on your subconscious programming. You react according to how you believe you should react. You react as you have been taught to react. You react based on your past perceptions. We run on automatic pilot. But I’d like you to consider this: there is a moment between the thing, circumstance or person that evokes a reaction and your response to that thing. That moment is the moment of choice. That is the moment of creation. That is the moment of Now. And you are in control of your response in that moment. Unlike the carrot, the egg or the coffee, you can make a conscious choice about how you deal with what happens to you.