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Week 13: The Good Life

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Property of Vikki Christina Maria Photography

Awhile back I was sifting through my newsfeed and came across a parable that caused me to stop and think. Really think. I bookmarked the link as the lesson of the story was so good that I knew I’d want to share. At this time, my Google research has revealed that the author of said parable is unknown. If anyone knows the origin of it though, please comment!

— Grandmother Says… Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee; “Which are you?” 

A young woman went to her grandmother 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 one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. 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 granddaughter, she asked, “Tell me what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked. “What’s the point,grandmother?”

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity–boiling water–but 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.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her granddaughter.

“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 a 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 hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

Photography Tip: Take a break. Photography is an all-consuming profession. (Most of us) don’t have weekends. (Most of us) don’t have strict 9-5 business hours. (Most of us) photograph a fraction of the time we spend in-front of a computer editing images, let alone advertising our business via social media outlets. Structure is key – and this tip is not referring to a healthy, daily schedule (more on that in a future post!) – but rather to something more broad. I’m talking about the novelty of not bringing your camera out with you. For the first time in months, I went out with a group of friends and didn’t bring my camera with me. Did I fight the temptation of packing it with me just incase a great photo opportunity arose? Yes. Did I fight the temptation of packing it with me because I knew the resolution and clarity of the images would outweigh that of a smartphone’s camera or point-and-shoot? Yes. But the idea of being in the moment sans any camera extension of myself was so novel that I forced myself to try it. After all, it’d just be for one night…

Was it worth it? Yes. Allowing myself to not have my camera within reach allowed me to step away from my job, to soak in the present surroundings, and to enjoy the conversations with my friends in-front of me, as oppose to half my brain processing potential photos around me. Taking a break — like when someone deliberately turns off their cell and/or computer at a certain time to enjoy an internet-free evening, etc. — may sound like a foreign concept in our technological-centric society… but trust me, it’s worth it. Even if practiced only once in a blue moon!


Filed under: Weekly Challenge Tagged: adversity, author unknown, cakes, carrots, coffee, colourful, courageous act, eggs, frogs, grand, grandmother, inspiration, lessons, parable, photography, photography tip, take a break, technology, three pots of water, Vegas vacation, Vikki Christina Maria Photography, worth

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