May we all be OOLONG TEA!!!!!!!!!

 Which are you?
 
A carrot, an egg, and a cup of Oolong tea… 
A young woman went to her mother 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 mother took her 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 Oolong tea. 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 Oolong out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you see.’
 
‘Carrots, eggs, and Oolong tea,’ she replied.
 
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hardboiled egg.

 
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the Oolong. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, ‘What does it mean, mother?’
 
Her mother 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 Oolong tea was unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water color and taste.
 
‘Which are you?’ she asked her daughter. ‘When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or an Oolong tea?
 
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 hardened heart

 
Or am I like the Oolong tea? The tea 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 tea, 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 an Oolong tea?
 
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

 

A Million Dollars

 
If I Had A Million Dollars – by Ron White

I saw a movie a few years ago that had a very funny scene. One of the
characters asked the other what he would do if he had a million
dollars. He replied, “Nothing….if I had a million dollars, I would
just relax all day long and enjoy myself.” Another guy chimed in and
seriously stated, “Hey, you don’t need a million dollars to do
that…just look at my cousin…he is flat broke and he doesn’t do a
thing but sit there all day long.”

I think I laughed about that for an hour and it just caused me to smile again.

Although the line in the movie was a joke, it illustrates a truth of
life. Whatever it is that you wish to do – do it! Don’t wait!
Seriously, why put off your dreams until tomorrow or until you get all
your ducks in a row. Guess what? The ducks of life sometimes have a
mind of their own and tend to wander a lot. You may never get all your
ducks in a row.

I have been a professional speaker since I was 20 years old. When I
was 27, I was speaking with a woman and she said, “I am 59 years old
and by the time I am 65 I would like to have my Master’s Degree and be
working as a professional speaker.” I looked at her perplexed as I
inquired, “Why in the world are you going to wait until you are 65 and
have a degree? I am 27 years old with no degree and I am speaking
tomorrow!” You could tell that my statement shattered her reality and
she had no response.

This woman was waiting to pursue her dream until everything was just
perfect. Until she had everything that she thought she needed to
ensure maximum success when in reality the greatest thing that she
could have done is simply move in the direction of what she desires.

The greatest resistor of human dreams is the “If I had a million
dollars” attitude. Individuals dream that if they had a million
dollars, they could pursue their vision. No they wouldn’t! If you
don’t pursue your vision when you are broke – when you grasp a
million, you will create another reason why it isn’t possible. Or if
you are one of the few who would actually live their dreams if you had
a million dollars, what is the probability that you are going to save
a million dollars?

Ever heard this train of thought?

Once I get out of high school I am going to see the world and travel…
Once I finish college I am going to see the world and travel…
Once I get married I am going to travel with my spouse…
After our kids are older we are going to see the world and travel…
When our kids get out of high school we are going to see the world and travel…
As soon as we retire we are going to see the world and travel…
Now, I am out of school, kids are gone and I am retired – if I was
younger and my health was better I would see the world and travel…

Don’t wait…

Many questions of life are complicated and unclear. Yet, the question
of if you should pursue your dream or what until you have a million
dollars is as clear as the waters of Fiji. You are not promised
tomorrow. You are not promised a million dollars. Pursue your dream
today and inch closer or it will remain equally as distant as the
pages of your life near the final chapter.