When i was a little kid, i would always wait eagerly for the summer vacations. That part of the time when i could go to my Nani's(grandmother's) house. Each night a ritual followed. My nani would narrate to me a bedtime story. I would really enjoy them. Even now when i think about them, i am still unable to decide, what made those stories beautiful? My nani's narration in her melodious voice or the characters of the story she would weave out of her imagination for me. Of all the stories i heard, there was one of them which i liked the most and is narrated below(In my nani's words)! "A carrot, an egg and some coffee beans!"
"Long long time ago, in a far far land from here, there lived a girl. The girl lived with her mother. Her father was a soldier and was posted in another part of the country. The girl's name was Janet. Janet was always the bubbly, happy go lucky girl, always ready to help others. But she was always surrounded by one problem or another. It seemed her problems never ended.
One fine day Janet came back home and started weeping uncontrollably. Her mother tried to console her but it was of no use. She tried asking but Janet wouldn't stop crying. Finally in broken words and with teary eyes, she uttered "I couldn't make a sand castle. All my friends made such beautiful castles but i can't! I am of no good. I can't do anything!!" And Janet started crying again. Her mother wiped away her tears, stroked her hair gently and hugged her in affection. The feeling of warmth and secureness in her mother's arms made Janet regain her composure and she finally stopped crying.
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Her mother said, Janet, come with me dear. She took her hand and led her to the kitchen. There she placed a carrot, an egg and some coffee beans in a plate.
"Come here Janet."
"Yes mom?"
"What do you see?"
"Well there is a carrot, an egg and a few coffee beans. But why?"
"Touch them and tell me how do they feel!"
"Mom the carrot is hard. The egg is so soft and the beans are so small."
"But mother what are you doing?"
Janet asked her mother. Her mother just smiled and said pay attention and look closely. She took some bowls and filled them with water. She placed a carrot in the first one, an egg in second and the coffee beans in the third. She put all of them on the stove. After a good 20 minutes when the water was boiling she switched off the stove and took each one of the items out. She asked Janet to look at them.
"Janet. Touch them again and tell me what do you feel?"
Janet came close and after a brief moment said
"The carrot is now very soft mom!"
"Very well. And what about the egg?"
"It has become very hard now"
"And the coffee beans?"
"I can't see them. But the water surely smells of it's aroma!"
Replied back Janet in a much cheerful tone. "Did you see Janet what just happened? I boiled all three of them with the same water, for the same time on the same stove. The boiling water made the hard carrot a soft one, while it made the soft and fragile egg a hard one. And the coffee beans were the unique ones. They just changed the water when boiled."
"Which one do you want to be?" asked her mother. "In the tough times, when life and it's problems knock you down, how will you respond? Like a carrot or an egg or the coffee beans?" Her mother continued, "The carrot who appeared to be so hard and strong went soft in pain and adversity. On the other hand, the fragile egg just hardened in it's shell and thus displayed a tougher spirit. Or are you like the coffee beans which changed the very water who wanted to change it? After boiling, the water smelled of coffee and it's fragrance, the coffee beans didn't smell of water! So always think wisely and decide in a time of trouble which one you are and act accordingly." Janet had now understood what her mother wanted to teach her and this time she raised the bar..! The very Janet became strong and hard like the egg, and versatile like the coffee beans who could adjust in any environment."
This post has been written for Write Over the Weekend(WOW), an initiative by Blogadda!
"Long long time ago, in a far far land from here, there lived a girl. The girl lived with her mother. Her father was a soldier and was posted in another part of the country. The girl's name was Janet. Janet was always the bubbly, happy go lucky girl, always ready to help others. But she was always surrounded by one problem or another. It seemed her problems never ended.
One fine day Janet came back home and started weeping uncontrollably. Her mother tried to console her but it was of no use. She tried asking but Janet wouldn't stop crying. Finally in broken words and with teary eyes, she uttered "I couldn't make a sand castle. All my friends made such beautiful castles but i can't! I am of no good. I can't do anything!!" And Janet started crying again. Her mother wiped away her tears, stroked her hair gently and hugged her in affection. The feeling of warmth and secureness in her mother's arms made Janet regain her composure and she finally stopped crying.
Her mother said, Janet, come with me dear. She took her hand and led her to the kitchen. There she placed a carrot, an egg and some coffee beans in a plate.
"Come here Janet."
"Yes mom?"
"What do you see?"
"Well there is a carrot, an egg and a few coffee beans. But why?"
"Touch them and tell me how do they feel!"
"Mom the carrot is hard. The egg is so soft and the beans are so small."
"But mother what are you doing?"
Janet asked her mother. Her mother just smiled and said pay attention and look closely. She took some bowls and filled them with water. She placed a carrot in the first one, an egg in second and the coffee beans in the third. She put all of them on the stove. After a good 20 minutes when the water was boiling she switched off the stove and took each one of the items out. She asked Janet to look at them.
"Janet. Touch them again and tell me what do you feel?"
Janet came close and after a brief moment said
"The carrot is now very soft mom!"
"Very well. And what about the egg?"
"It has become very hard now"
"And the coffee beans?"
"I can't see them. But the water surely smells of it's aroma!"
Replied back Janet in a much cheerful tone. "Did you see Janet what just happened? I boiled all three of them with the same water, for the same time on the same stove. The boiling water made the hard carrot a soft one, while it made the soft and fragile egg a hard one. And the coffee beans were the unique ones. They just changed the water when boiled."
"Which one do you want to be?" asked her mother. "In the tough times, when life and it's problems knock you down, how will you respond? Like a carrot or an egg or the coffee beans?" Her mother continued, "The carrot who appeared to be so hard and strong went soft in pain and adversity. On the other hand, the fragile egg just hardened in it's shell and thus displayed a tougher spirit. Or are you like the coffee beans which changed the very water who wanted to change it? After boiling, the water smelled of coffee and it's fragrance, the coffee beans didn't smell of water! So always think wisely and decide in a time of trouble which one you are and act accordingly." Janet had now understood what her mother wanted to teach her and this time she raised the bar..! The very Janet became strong and hard like the egg, and versatile like the coffee beans who could adjust in any environment."
This post has been written for Write Over the Weekend(WOW), an initiative by Blogadda!
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