Potatoes, Eggs & coffee Beans

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.

However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “

Moral:In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

A son and his Father

A son took his father to a restaurant to enjoy a delicious dinner. His father was of advanced age, and therefore, a little weak, too. While he was eating, a little bit of food fell from time to time on his shirt and his trousers. The other diners watched the older man with their faces distorted in disgust, but his son remained totally calm.
Once both were done eating, the son, without being remotely ashamed, helped his father by taking him to the restroom. He cleaned up the leftovers from his wrinkled face, and tried to wash the stains of food from his clothes. He lovingly combed his hair gray and he finally got his glasses cleaned. On the way out of the restroom, a profound silence reigned in the restaurant. The son was going to pay the bill and get ready to escort his father out of the restaurant. Just then a man rose from his chair among the diners, and asked the son " don't you think that you've left something here? "The young man replied, "No, I haven't missed anything". Then the stranger said to him, " Yes you've left something! You left here a lesson for each child, and hope for every parent!" The entire restaurant was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

One of the biggest honors that exists, is the ability to take care of those older adults who cared for us. Our parents, and all those elderly who sacrificed their lives, with time, money, effort and unconditional love. They deserve our utmost respect. If you also feel respect for older adults, share this story with all your friends.

The North Wind's Gifts

Once upon a time there was a woman who had one son. As she was old and feeble, her son had to go to the store-house to fetch the meal for their porridge.

As he was leaving the store-house with a bag of meal on his back, up came the North Wind puffing and blowing. He caught up the meal and away he went with it through the air.

The lad went back into the store-house for more; but when he came out again on the steps, the North Wind carried off the meal as he had done before. More than that, he did so the third time.

At this the lad became very angry and made up his mind to go and see the Nor Wind, so that he might ask him to give bad the meal.

The way was long and he walked and walked but at last he came to the North Wind's house ' Good-day,' said the lad, 'and thank you for coming to see us yesterday.'

Good-day,' answered the North Wind. and his voice was loud and gruff. ' Thanks for coming to see me. What do you want? '

'Oh,' replied the lad, ' I only wished to ask you to give me back the meal which you took from me yesterday. You see we haven't much to live on, and if you snap up the little that we have, we shall starve without a doubt.'

I haven't got your meal,' declared the North Wind. ' However, if you are in such need, here is a cloth which will provide everything you want if you only say, " Cloth, spread yourself, and serve up all kinds of good dishes! "

The lad was very well pleased at this. As the way home was long and he could not reach there in one day, he turned into an inn for the night. When he was going to sit down the supper, he laid the cloth on a table in the cornea and said, ' Cloth, spread yourself and serve up all kinds of good dishes! '

He had scarcely spoken when the cloth did as it was bidden. The table was covered wit splendid food of every kind.

All who stood by thought what a fine clot this was, but most of all the inn-keeper's wife So in the middle of the night when everyone was fast asleep, she took the lad's cloth an put another just like it in its place. Yet the cloth could not serve up so much as a bit of dry bread.

When the lad woke he took the cloth an went off with it, and that day he reached his mother's home.

' Now,' said he, ' I've been to the North Wind's house. A good fellow he is too, for he gave me this cloth. When I say to it, " Cloth, spread yourself and serve up all kinds of goo dishes! " it provides any sort of food I want,

' All very true I dare say,' said his mother but I shall not believe it till I see it.'

So the lad made haste, laid the cloth on the table and said, ' Cloth, spread yourself an serve up all kinds of good dishes! ' Yet never a bit of dry bread did the cloth serve up.

' Did I not say that seeing is believing said the boy's mother.

' Well, there's no help for it but to go to the North Wind again,' said the lad; and away he went.

1. Why did the boy visit the North Wind?

2. What gift did the North Wind give him?

3. What happened to this gift?

A Monkey and Two Cats

Once a cake was stolen by two cats from a house. But they did not want to share it.

Each of the cats claimed that it was his earning and that he was not prepared to give a share to the other. When their quarrel reached the climax, a monkey appeared on the scene. He offered himself to solve the dispute. He heard the case and opined that as they were good friends, they should share the cake equally. And he offered himself to divide the cake into two equal parts for them.

Somehow the cats agreed to his suggestion. Then the monkey took and 'divided the cake into two parts. He weighed each of the parts separately, and found that one was heavier than the other. So he gave a good bite to the heavier piece to make it of lesser weight, and weighed it again. Now he found the other part heavier. So again, he gave a good bite to the heavier piece and put it one the scale. Now it appeared to be of lesser weight. Again, he gave a good bite to the presently heavier piece to make it equal in weight to the other. But none of the two pieces appeared to be perfectly equal in weight.

Now the cake was almost eaten up by the clever monkey this Way. So the cats wanted the remaining parts back from the monkey. At this, the monkey said that they cannot get them back, because he claims them as remuneration for his service to them. So saying, the monkey swallowed the tuning two small pieces of the cake and jumped high to of a tree, beyond the reach of the cats.

Grapes Are Sour

Once a hungry fox went about in search of food and reached a vineyard. He stopped near one of the trees that bore beautiful ripe grapes which were hang­ing in bunches. His mouth watered. He thought that he would eat the ripe grapes to satisfy his hunger.

So he tried to catch hold of the grapes. He jumped as high as possible to hold at least one of the bunches which was not so high. But still it was beyond his reach. When his repeated efforts failed to get even a single grape, he was upset.

So he consoled himself by thinking that these grapes must be sour, which he should not taste. And it is better to leave the vineyard and look for food somewhere else. So the fox went away.

Lion and the Mouse

Part of a story is given below: you have to complete it. Once a lion was sleeping in a jungle. He was woken up by a mouse. The lion became angry. The mouse pleaded for his life. He promised to help the lion. The lion let it go. Once the lion got caught in a trap.

Once there lived a lion. He was sleeping under a shady tree. A mouse lived in a hole nearby. It came out of its hole. It began to move up and down on the body of the lion. The lion woke up from his sleep. He was very angry. He wanted to kill the mouse. The mouse prayed for its life. It said, "Please spare my life. I will pay back your kindness". The lion took pity and set the mouse free.

One day, the lion was caught in a net. He began to roar. The little mouse heard his roar and came there. It saw the lion caught in a net. It cut the net with its sharp teeth. The lion was free. He thanked the little mouse for its timely help.

Moral: Do well and have well.

The Farm Dog and the Wolf

The dog replied that he kept watch over the farm and his master fed him well. The dog advised him, "Do work honestly and the master will feed you well". The wolf agreed.

The wolf noticed some marks round the dog's neck. He asked the dog about it. The dog replied that during the day he had to wear the chain round his neck. The wolf was shocked to hear this. He said, "I would rather be free and starve than be a slave to anybody".

Moral: Better be hungry than in chains.