This week in “yoga church” as I refer to my friend Shannon’s classes, she shared a parable I’d never heard before. Maybe it will be new to you, too.

A mother listened to her daughter as she described how hard her life had become. It seemed like one problem after another. She was tired of struggling against the tide.

So her mother went to the kitchen, filled three pots of water and set them to boil. In the first pot, she placed a carrot. In the second, an egg. And in the third, ground coffee beans.

While the water boiled, the mother explained that the boiling represented adversity.

The carrot, which went into the water hard and unrelenting, emerged mushy and weak. The egg went in with a soft heart, but came out hardened and stiff.

But the coffee beans…ahhhh the coffee beans. They took the adversity of the boiling water, and turned it into something amazing. As they evolved, they changed the environment around them for the better.

This shows up in our lives and in our making, too. When we encounter a challenge, whether it be some dropped stitches or a major frogfest…we are constantly strengthening our resilience.

So we not only create amazing things that bring more beauty to our world…but we also show up, wholeheartedly, with strength and softness in equal measure.

In a world full of carrots and eggs, be the coffee bean. ♥️

xoxo,

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