胡蘿卜本是硬的，堅固而且強度大，但受到煮沸的水的影響，它變得柔軟而脆弱。雞蛋本來易碎，薄薄的外殼保護著內部的液體。但是在經歷過煮沸的水以后，它的內部卻變得堅硬。不過，最獨特的卻是磨碎的咖啡豆，當它們被放入煮沸的水之后，它們改變了水。

A certain daughter complained to her father about her life and how things have been so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that just as one problem was solved another arose.

有一個女孩向她父親抱怨她的生活，她覺得凡事都很艱難，不知該怎樣挺過去，她想放棄。她厭倦了不斷的抗爭和奮斗，問題似乎都一個接著一個，不讓她有喘息的機會。

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen, filled three pots with water and placed the fire on high. Soon the three pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the other he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

她的父親是個廚師，他把她帶到了廚房。他在三個壺里分別裝滿了水，加大火燒。很快，壺里的水被煮開了。他往第一個壺里放了些胡蘿卜，往第二個壺里放了幾個雞蛋，在最后一個壺里放了些磨碎的咖啡豆，然后，一句話也沒說，他由著水把它們煮沸。

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently wondered what he was trying to do. She had problems, and he was making this strange concoction. In half an hour he walked over to the stove and turned down the fire. He pulled the carrots out and placed them in the bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in the bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her he asked. "Darling what do you see?"

女兒咂巴著嘴，不耐煩地等著，對父親的行為感到很納悶。大約三十分鐘后，父親關掉了火爐，把胡蘿卜撈出來，放到一個碗里。又把雞蛋揀出來放進另一個碗里，接著把咖啡用勺子舀出來倒進一個杯子里，然后轉過頭來，對她說，“親愛的，你看到了什么？”

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee." she replied.

“胡蘿卜、雞蛋和咖啡。”她答道。

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. 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. Her face frowned from the strength of the coffee.

父親讓她走近點，要她去摸摸胡蘿卜，她注意到，它們變軟了。然后，他又要她去拿一個雞蛋并把它敲破，在把殼剝掉之后，她觀察了這個煮熟的雞蛋。最后，父親要她飲一口咖啡。咖啡很苦，她皺了皺眉。

Humbly, she asked. "What does it mean Father?"

“您想跟我說什么，父親？”她問道。

He explained. "Each of them faced the same adversity, 212 degrees of boiling water. However each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after going through boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg was fragile. A thin outer shell protected a liquid center. But after sitting through the boiling water, it's inside became hardened. The coffee beans are unique however. After they were in the boiling water, it became stronger and richer."

父親解釋說，這三樣東西面臨著同樣的逆境——煮沸的水。但它們的反應卻各不相同。胡蘿卜本是硬的，堅固而且強度大，但受到煮沸的水的影響后，它變得柔軟而脆弱。雞蛋本來易碎，薄薄的外殼保護著內部的液體。但是在經歷過煮沸的水以后，它的內部卻變得堅硬。不過，最獨特的卻是磨碎的咖啡豆，當它們被放入煮沸的水之后，它們改變了水。

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

“哪一個是你呢？”他問女兒，“當逆境找上你時，你該如何應對呢？你是胡蘿卜、雞蛋、還是咖啡豆？”

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（來源：原版英語 編輯：崔旭燕）