Let's see what we can learn from Granny

(Extracted from Payback by R C Bridgestock)

Granny had always been a woman of few words, and although life had been far less complicated then, in some ways bringing up a family in a house with no electricity, no gas, no running water and a dug-out for a toilet, had meant it was just as hard. Instead of lecturing Charley, her grandmother had filled three pans with water and placed them on the range to warm. Charley was intrigued. In the first she placed a carrot; in the second she lowered an egg on a spoon; the third pan of water was left to boil. After a while she lifted the pans and carefully took out the carrot and egg, placing them on a side plate. From the third pan she poured the boiling water into her percolator pot, in which, it became obvious from the aroma, there were already coffee grains.

Granny had placed a cup of black coffee and the plate

with the carrot and egg on it in front of Charley and slid onto a chair opposite at the old, worn kitchen table. 'Which one are you?' she asked, rubbing her hands on her

apron.

'Me?' replied Charley, bemused.

Grandma smiled. 'Go on.' She nodded in the direction

of the carrot. 'Touch it.' Unquestioningly Charley did so, and noted it was soft. 'Now, try to break the egg" Charley frowned. 'It's hard boiled?'

Granny's eyes glistened. Her mouth tugged at its corners. 'Peel it.'

After removing the shell Charley observed the egg.

Finally, the old lady asked her to smell the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to Charley's face.

'But what's that to do with anything?' Charley asked. 'Well,' said Granny. 'The carrot, the egg and the coffee beans have all faced the same adversity - boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The carrot went in hard, strong and unrelenting, but in the water it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with liquid inside and

a thin outer shell until it was put in the cooking pot. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans are unique. After being exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. So, again I'm asking you, when adversity knocks at your door, how will you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?'