Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 49 – The Worst Day of the Year
Good morning, guys,
It’s 5 degrees here in sunny downtown Stewartstown, Pa. We got about a foot of snow over the weekend and high winds with a lot of drifts. I heard on the news today that a doctor from England has somehow calculated that today is the worst day of the year. He based his calculations on the weather, the post Christmas depression, the holiday weight gains, incoming credit card bills and the realization that New Years resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Well the weather has only provided me with a good cardio workout. The post Christmas depression only gives me a chance to look forward to spring. The weight gains are gone. The incoming credit card bills are not incoming. And the New Years resolutions were never made because I have made lifestyle resolutions that I have kept for four years and only set new goals.
But, since it is considered the WORST day of the year, I thought I would share a story that was passed on to me that tells about dealing with adversity. Enjoy.
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A CARROT, AN EGG AND A CUP OF COFFEE
A young man went to his mother and told her about
his life and how things were so hard for him. He did
not know how he was going to make it and wanted to give up.
He was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
His mother took him to the kitchen. She filled three
pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon
the pots came to boil. In the first she placed
carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in 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 him, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," he replied.
His mother brought him closer and asked him to feel the carrots.
He did and noted that they were soft. The mother
then asked him to take an egg and break it.
After pulling off the shell, he observed the hardboiled
egg. Finally, the mother asked him to
sip the coffee. The young man smiled as he tasted its
rich aroma. Then he asked, "What does it
mean, mother?"
The woman explained that each of these objects had
faced the same adversity ... boiling water. 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?"
The carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity or
hardship, it wilts and becomes soft and loses its strength?
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 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 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 hour is the
darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate
yourself to another level? How do you handle
adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
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Have a great day and ENJOY THE COFFEE.
In Fitness & Friendship,
Mahler
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
I gotta say that it ain't so bad down here in Texas.
It's supposed to get up close to 70 today which is still kind of chilly to me! [img]tongue.gif[/img]
I don't have any post-Christmas depression... I'm actually pretty glad it's OVER!
Only gained a couple over the holidays and that's gone already.
We never pay interest on our credit cards 'cause we pay them off every month... which makes the Frequent Flier Miles FREE... to us, not the vendor.
I didn't make any New Years resolutions but I have noticed the usual jump in attendance at the gym. I was there the first day they opened back up and it was pretty crowded. This will die down only for a short time before people start thinking about "OH NO, SPRING BREAK IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!" and crank back up again!
For all of y'all in COLD parts of the world, here's something to help you THINK WARM:
Well, John, you nailed it on the head today. My team lost last night, there's two feet of snow outside, the battery in my car died, I've got 2 months to complete a 3 month project in school, I'm down to my last penny, my depression is trying to seep back in and my favorite roommate is moving out.
I'm gonna get off my carrot ass and go make some damn coffee!
Mahler, thanks for the weekly, insightful reading. Life is funny. For instance, I started off life, on my own at 17, like the carrot. I was weak, mentally, physically, and psychologically. When I got divorced from my ex, I was like the egg, very hard, bitter and tough. Now, at 37, I've learned more about life, myself, and others. I have a wonderful wife and I find myself more and more like the coffee. I've learned that situations aren't permanent, things will change, and we can change them. It took me a while to finally get myself back on my feet after the divorce, and now, I'm not going back to living paycheck to paycheck. Thank you, Mr. Mahler for those thoughts, they are a pleasure to read.
Peace everyone......MD
I feel your pain rockhard, when those guys lose a part of me dies for awhile. Then the sun rises on a new day, and God says, get back in the game son. And I say wheres the squat rack. By the way I'm talking about the men who make Heinz Field their home.
JJ
__________________
Your accomplishments can only be as big as your heart.
Originally posted by RockHard: Well, John, you nailed it on the head today. My team lost last night, there's two feet of snow outside, the battery in my car died, I've got 2 months to complete a 3 month project in school, I'm down to my last penny, my depression is trying to seep back in and my favorite roommate is moving out.
I'm gonna get off my carrot ass and go make some damn coffee!
Rock: That's all? No problem. Tsumani victims; children with cancer; families losing loved ones in illness, accidents or, perhaps worse, abductions. Look at all you have and at the endles possibilities before you. Go get 'em, man! [img]smile.gif[/img]
quote:Originally posted by RockHard: Well, John, you nailed it on the head today. My team lost last night, there's two feet of snow outside, the battery in my car died, I've got 2 months to complete a 3 month project in school, I'm down to my last penny, my depression is trying to seep back in and my favorite roommate is moving out.
I'm gonna get off my carrot ass and go make some damn coffee!
Rock: That's all? No problem. Tsumani victims; children with cancer; families losing loved ones in illness, accidents or, perhaps worse, abductions. Look at all you have and at the endles possibilities before you. Go get 'em, man! [img]smile.gif[/img] [/quote]Werd.
__________________
"It's what you've got inside that matters. The details and technological things will take you only so far. You still have to pedal the bike. Some people are always looking for the magic secret. There's no secret. Just bust your ass." -Dave Zabriskie
After reading the post and seeing the picture of the surfer, Bethany Hamilton came to mind. Keep her in mind next time you feel like you can't do something because life crapped all over your day. I a puss compared to this girl.
__________________
There's no love in fear. Staring down the hole again. Hands upon my back again. Survival is my only friend. Terrified of what may come. Just remember I will always love you, even as I tear your fucking throat away. But it will end no other way.
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