This story tells of a young woman who is feeling discouraged and wants to give up due to difficulties in her life. Her mother takes her to the kitchen and boils carrots, eggs, and coffee beans in three pots of water. After removing them, the mother asks the daughter to observe how each reacted differently to the boiling water. The carrots softened, the egg hardened inside but remained intact, and the coffee beans changed the water. The mother asks the daughter which one she is - implying whether she wilts under pressure, gets hardened by difficulties, or transforms the situation. The story encourages facing adversity by elevating oneself to make positive change.

1. The Boss Story:
When I take a long time —
I am slow.
When my boss takes a long time
He is thorough.
When I don’t do it —
I am lazy.
When my boss doesn’t do it
He is too busy.
When I do something without being told —
I am trying to be smart.
When my boss does the same —
that is initiative.
When I please my boss —
I’m apple-polishing.
When my boss pleases his boss —
He’s co-operating.
When I do good, my boss never remembers.
when I do wrong, he never forgets.
Carrots, eggs, and coffee 5 comments
Category: Inspirational stories
0
inShare.inShare.What can a carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee teach a young woman tired of fighting
and struggling with adversity and heartaches? Read on and find out the lesson the young woman
received from her mother.
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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 when 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 ground coffee beans.

2. 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 coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell
me what you see.”
“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” 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 coffee. 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.
However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed
the water. “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 coffee bean?
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 coffee bean? The bean 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 bean, 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 coffee bean?
A dish of ice cream 4 comments

3. Posted at 12:00 am in Touching stories
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
“How much is an ice cream sundae?”
“50 cents,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.
“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the
waitress was a bit impatient.
“35 cents,” she said brusquely.
The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and departed.
When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she
saw.
There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.
Written by Stephen on May 7th, 2012
How the poor live 72 comments
Posted at 12:11 pm in Touching stories
One day, a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of
showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would
be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the
trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the
middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden,
and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have

4. servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls
around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.”
The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.”
Written by Stephen on September 16th, 2009
A box of kisses 39 comments
Posted at 1:21 pm in Touching stories
Some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.
Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the
Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you,
Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found the
box was empty.
He yelled at her, “Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be
something inside it?”
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said,”Oh, Daddy, it is not empty. I blew kisses
into the box. All for you, Daddy.”
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
It is told that the man kept that gold box by his bed for years and whenever he was discouraged, he
would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us as humans have been given a gold container filled with unconditional
love and kisses from our children, friends, family and God. There is no more precious possession anyone
could hold.
Archive for the ‘Inspiring stories’ Category
The other side 5 comments
Posted at 8:39 am in Inspiring stories
A father was reading a magazine and his little daughter every now and then distracted him.
Trying to keep her busy, he tore out one page on which was printed the map of the world. He then tore
the page into pieces and asked her to go to her room and put them together to make the map again.
He was sure she would take the whole day to get it done. But the little one came back within minutes
with the perfect map…
When he asked how she could do it so quickly, she said, “Oh… Dad, there is a man’s face on the other
side of the paper… I made the face perfect to get the map right.” She ran outside to play leaving the
father surprised.
Reflection:

5. There is always the other side to whatever you experience in this world. This story indirectly teaches a
lesson. i.e. whenever we come across a challenge or a puzzling situation, look at the other side… You will
be surprised to see an easy way to tackle the problem.
Perfection
Posted on | June 22, 2011 | 2 Comments
A gentleman once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God.
Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, “Do you need two
statues of the same idol?”
“No,” said the sculptor without looking up, “We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last
stage.”
The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. “Where is the damage?” he asked.
“There is a scratch on the nose of the idol.” said the sculptor, still busy with his work.
“Where are you going to install the idol?”
The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high.
“If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?” the gentleman asked.
The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said,
“I know it and God knows it!”
Moral – The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not.
Excellence is a drive from inside, not outside. Excel at a task today – not necessarily for someone else to
notice but for your own satisfaction.
Value Your Present Time
Posted on | June 19, 2011 | 6 Comments
Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance
from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day.
What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!!!! Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME.
Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you
have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it

6. opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s
deposits, the loss is yours.
There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow”. You must live in the present on
today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success!
The clock is running. Make the most of today.
•To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed in SSC Exam.
•To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
•To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper. .
•To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
•To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
•To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
•To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics
Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone
special, special enough to spend your time. And remember that time waits for no one.
A girl asked a boy if she was pretty, he said "No". She asked him if he wanted to be with
her forever, he said "No". Then she asked him if he would cry if she walked away, he
said "No". She had heard enough; she needed to leave.
As she walked away he grabbed her arm and told her to stay. He said "You're not pretty,
you're beautiful. I don`t want to be with you forever, I need to be with you forever. And I
wouldn't cry if you walked away, I would die."
One night a guy and a girl were driving home from the movies. The boy sensed there was
something wrong because of the painful silence they shared between them that night. The
girl then asked the boy to pull over because she wanted to talk. She told him that her
feelings had changed & that it was time to move on.
A silent tear slid down his cheek as he slowly reached into his pocket & passed her a
folded note.
At that moment, a drunk driver was speeding down that very same street. He swerved
right into the drivers seat, killing the boy. Miraculously, the girl survived. Remembering
the note, she pulled it out & read it. "Without your love, I would die."

7. The Guardian Angel
There was this little girl sitting by herself in the park. Everyone passed by her and never
stopped to see why she looked so sad. Dressed in a worn pink dress, barefoot and dirty, the
girl just sat and watched the people go by. She never tried to speak. She never said a word.
Many people passed by her, but no one would stop.
The next day I decided to go back to the park in curiosity to see if the little girl would still be
there. Yes, she was there, right in the very spot where she was yesterday, and still with the
same sad look in her eyes. Today I was to make my own move and walk over to the little
girl. For as we all know, a park full of strange people is not a place for young children to
play alone. As I got closer I could see the back of the little girl's dress. It was grotesquely
shaped. I figured that was the reason people just passed by and made no effort to speak to
her. Deformities are a low blow to our society and, heaven forbid if you make a step toward
assisting someone who is different. As I got closer, the little girl lowered her eyes slightly to
avoid my intent stare. As I approached her, I could see the shape of her back more clearly.
She was grotesquely shaped in a humped over form. I smiled to let her know it was OK; I
was there to help, to talk. I sat down beside her and opened with a simple, "Hello"; The
little girl acted shocked, and stammered a "hi"; after a long stare into my eyes. I smiled and
she shyly smiled back. We talked until darkness fell and the park was completely empty. I
asked the girl why she was so sad. The little girl looked at me with a sad face said,
"Because, I'm different"; I immediately said, "That you are!"; and smiled. The little girl
acted even sadder and said, "I know." "Little girl," I said, "you remind me of an angel,
sweet and innocent."
She looked at me and smiled, then slowly she got to her feet and said, "Really?" "Yes,
you're like a little Guardian Angel sent to watch over all people walking by." She nodded her
head yes, and smiled.
With that she opened the back of her pink dress and allowed her wings to spread, then she
said "I am. I'm your Guardian Angel," with a twinkle in her eye. I was speechless -- sure I
was seeing things."
She said, "For once you thought of someone other than yourself. My job here is done;" I got
to my feet and said, "Wait, why did no one stop to help an angel?"
She looked at me, smiled, and said, "You are the only one that could see me," and then she
was gone.
And with that, my life was changed dramatically.

8. I'll Be With You
It was autumn again. Sucking in the warm morning breeze, Mary smiled as she stretched
her arms wide, as though embracing the beauty of nature. Jumping up and down in glee,
she swirled around in the garden, with her long silky jet-black hair dancing behind her. By
anyone‟s standards, she was beautiful. Her cherry lips often gave way to smiles and
laughter and her eyes a beautiful shade of blue.
She let the wind sting her cheeks as she ran around the garden, shrieking in joy, when she
skidded on the fallen leaves only to find herself resting on the strong grasp of a hand.
Opening her eyes, her heart momentarily stopped beating as she came face to face with a
freckled-faced man. He grinned, revealing a row of yellowish teeth, and then opened his
mouth, sending out a weave of nasty stench which smelled like a thousand rotten apples.
Mary widened her eyes in horror, shocking the man as he lost grip of her and she fell on the
floor.
Moaning miserably, she got up slowly from her supine position and grunted, flinging
expletives at the bewildered man. But he only looked down without a word. “Are you mute!
Can‟t you even say sorry!” Mary cried out in frustration and stomped off. The man sighed
and shook his head, picking up his broom to continue sweeping the fallen leaves.
The next day, Mary sat under a tree in the same garden, burying her face in her hands,
sobbing uncontrollably. Suddenly, she felt her nose twitch as an unbearable stench gushed
into her nostrils and she looked up, only to see a white handkerchief.
“You again” she folded her arms, obviously annoyed. The man lifted his right hand to the
side of his forehead, an indication that he was sorry. He then pointed to the handkerchief,
motioning her to wipe her tears. “A-Are you really… mute?” Mary stammered, afraid to
know the answer. Instead, the man smiled, and distorted his face using his hands so he
looked hilariously frightful. Mary laughed, and he whipped out a piece of paper from his
back pocket and started scribbling. Like this, a few hours passed.
“If only my boyfriend was as understanding as you, John…” She mused sadly and continued,
“But it doesn‟t matter anymore.” And they sat in silence in the middle of the garden where
brown leaves scattered, and where a beautiful friendship was already blossoming.
Day after day, Mary would look for John in the garden, where he would be sweeping the
leaves. They enjoyed each other‟s company immensely, even if it meant communicating
through scraps of paper. Many a time, Mary did the talking and John, the listening, always
ready with a handkerchief to chase away her sorrows. Whenever Mary was feeling down,
John would bring her to the fields in the outskirts of the city where sunflowers bloomed its
prettiest and hatred never existed. He would urge her to tell her unhappiness to a tree and
then carve a tiny happy face at that portion of the trunk. Months soon passed, and this
humble tree was soon filled with many happy faces. This was their paradise.

9. Unfortunately, their love was soon put to the test. It was past midnight. Mary was returning
home from work and had taken the short cut through a deserted alley when two big burly
men appeared before her. They had similar nasty stench drifting out of their mouths and
snorted furiously like demented bulls.
“Leave John alone! He‟s better off without women! He belongs with us to the underworld!”
One of them boomed. Mary, frightened, shrieked and closed her eyes, muttering a short
prayer as she anticipated her life to end at this juncture. Seconds passed, and she gingerly
opened her eyes, to see an outline of a familiar figure wrestling with the two burly men.
John was punched and kicked about like a rag doll. Blood trickling from his nose and
forehead, he was sprawled on the ground, defenseless. “That‟s what you get for betraying
us,” they smirked in satisfaction and swaggered away.
“John!” Mary cried out, lifting him up and hugging him tightly. Examining his face carefully,
she realised that like those burly men, he was filthy and smelly, but unlike them, he had the
kindest and most beautiful eyes ever. She had come to love this man for who he was. It
was a love that needed no words. Garnering the last ounce of strength in him, he took out
the white handkerchief he always carried and held it out to her. She received the
handkerchief with trembling hands. Inhaling sharply, she let Niagara Falls come.
“Promise me you‟ll never leave me no matter what happens” She whispered. With quivering
hands, he took out a scrap of paper and pen. “I‟ll always be with you” He assured her. “I
swear”. Smiling, she held out her last finger in which he hooked against his and they
hugged.
Although belonging to different worlds, one a law graduate from Harvard and the other from
the underworld, they never mentioned about their difference in status. Instead, their love
only grew stronger after that fateful incident.
One day, Mary was on her way to the garden when a gush of fluid was flung at her face.
Instantly, she felt a burning sensation in her eyes and the flash of light was soaked up by
the spreading dark patches before her eyes. Her ear splitting screaming reverberated to
John‟s ears as he sallied forward towards the sound, only to see Mary already unconscious
on the ground, and he knew it was the work of the two burly men.
Mary was rushed to the hospital forthwith but it was too late. She was to lose her sight. Her
family was devastated and wailed in pain and anguish. Guilt-ridden to have caused
misfortune to befall Mary and her family, John made up his mind. He knew what he had to
do.
Packing the essentials, he decided to leave and quitted his job as a sweeper in the garden.
Looking at the blissful pictures of Mary and himself, he sighed and threw them away.
“Mary! Can you see me?” Aunts jostled towards the weary girl and waved before her. The
image she saw was a blur and she felt groggy. However, it was a great blessing that Mary
had regained her sight. Looking into the mirror, she was startled to find that her eyes
looked somewhat different. They were the same shade of blue, but now they exuberated
great warmth and compassion.

10. Unfortunately, Mary soon realised that John had left her and was devastated. She bawled
her heart out and pinned for him day and night. Thinking back on the promise he made to
her, she hated him all the more.
One day, she decided to visit their place of paradise to relieve their happy days together.
She walked to the tree where she used to pour out her unhappiness and leaned close to the
trunk and touched its rough surface filled with happy faces. She wept uncontrollably as she
ran her fingers down the trunk. Unexpectedly, she saw the words „I‟ll be with you‟ engraved
on the foot of the tree trunk. Glimmers of hope began to light the darkness as she looked
earnestly around, but what she saw left her dumbfounded.
On the bench sat a man with a pair of sunglasses and a walking stick. Under the scorching
sun, he was sweating profusely and fished out a white handkerchief from his back pocket to
wipe the perspiration. Coincidentally, a photo fell out from the pocket as well. With manifold
feelings, Mary picked up the photo and looked at herself in the picture and was shocked.
The man groped his back pocket for the photo and became flustered when it was no longer
there. Slowly, Mary walked over and placed the photo in the man‟s hands. It was only then
that she tasted the warm salty wetness of her own tears and realised how hard she was
crying.
The man bowed in gratitude and flashed his yellowish teeth which glistened in the morning
sun.
“I‟ll always be with you… “
Looking at the man who loved her so deeply, she smiled. Touching her eyes which were
once his, tears streaked down her cheeks. His eyes brimming with her tears.
The Salty Coffee
He met her on a party, she was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her,while he was
so normal, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have
coffee with him, she was surprised, but due to politeness, she promised. They sat in a nice
coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything, she felt uncomfortable, she thought,
please, let me back home. Suddenly he asked the waiter: would you please give me some
salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee.
Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his
coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously: why you have this hobby? He replied: when I
was a little boy, I was living near the sea, I like playing in the sea, I could felt the taste of
the sea, salty and bite, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the
salty coffee, I will think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so

11. much, I miss my parents who still living there. Saying that, tears filled his eyes. She was
deeply touched. That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart.
"A man who can tell out his homesick, he must be a man loves home, cares about home,
has responsibility of home," she thought. Then she also started to talk, talked about her
faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful
beginning of their story. They continue to date. She found actually he was a man who meets
all her demands: he was tolerance, kind hearted, warm, careful...he was such a good guy
but she almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee!
Then the story was just like every beautiful love story: the princess married to the prince,
then they were living the happy life...And, every time she made coffee for him, she put
some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked.
After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said: "My dearest, please forgive me,
forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you, the salty coffee. Remember the
first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said
salt. It's hard for me to change so I just go ahead. I never thought that could be the start of
our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid
to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything..Now I'm dying, I afraid of
nothing so I tell you the truth: I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste..but I
have the salty coffee for my whole life since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do
for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life.
If I can live for the second time, I still want to know you and have you as my whole life
wife, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again."
Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone asked her: What's the taste of
salty coffee?
It's sweet. She replied.