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女儿对父亲抱怨她的生活，抱怨事事都那么艰难。她不知该如何应付生活，想要自暴自弃了。她已厌倦抗争和奋斗。好像一个问题刚解决,新的问题就又出现了。 她的父亲是位厨师，他把她带进厨房。他先往三只锅里倒人一些水,然后把它们放在旺火上烧。不久锅里的水烧开了。他往第一只锅里放些胡萝卜，第二只锅里放入鸡蛋，最后一只锅里放入碾成粉状的咖啡豆。他将它们浸入开水中煮，一句话也没说。 女儿咂咂嘴,不耐烦地等待着，纳闷父亲在做什么。大约20分钟后，他把火关了，把胡萝卜捞出来放入一个碗内，把鸡蛋捞出来放入另一个碗内，然后又把咖啡放入到一个碗里。 他转过身问女儿：“亲爱的，你看见什么了？”“胡萝卜、鸡蛋、咖啡。”她回答。 他让她靠近些并让她用手摸摸胡萝卜。她摸了摸，注意到它们变软了。父亲又让女儿拿一只鸡蛋并打破它。将壳剥掉后，她看到的是只煮熟的鸡蛋。最后他让她品尝咖啡。品尝到香浓的咖啡，女儿笑了。 她怯声问道：“父亲，这意味着什么? ”他解释说，“这三样东西面临同样的逆境——煮沸的开水，但其反应各不相同。胡萝卜入锅之前是强壮的、结实的、毫不示弱;但进入开水后，它变软了，变弱了。鸡蛋原来是易碎的，它薄薄的外壳保护着它呈液体的内脏;但是经开水一煮，它内脏变硬了。而粉状咖啡豆则很独特，进沸水后，它们倒改变了给它带来痛苦的开水，并在它达到华氏212度的高温时让它散发出最佳气味。水最烫时，它的味道更好了。” “哪个是你呢?”他问女儿。“当逆境找上门来时，你该如何应对？你是胡萝卜、鸡蛋，还是咖啡豆?” How to Deal with Adversity A daughter complained to her father 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 father, a cook, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots，in the second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil,without saying a word. The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited，wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her he asked，“ Honey，what do you see?” “Carrots,eggs，and coffee, ’’ she replied. He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. She asked，“What does it mean, Father?” He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity—boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong,hard, and unrelenting. But 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 harden- ed. The ground coffee beans were unique，however. After they were in the boiling water ，they change the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain，to its peak flavor when it reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest，it just tastes better. Which are you?”he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot,an egg,or a coffee bean?” |
