A scout I know wanted to talk. He was bummed about school and family and life in general. Things were just 'too hard'.

While he was telling me his troubles, I filled three pots with water and put them over the fire.
When the water was boiling, I put some carrots in one pot, an egg in the 2nd, and some mint tea in the 3rd.

Then, the scout and I went for a short walk, just to pass some time. When we returned, I scooped out the carrots into a bowl, the egg into another bowl, and poured some mint tea into a cup.

Then I asked the scout, "What do you see?"

Being a bright scout, he said, "Carrots, an egg, and some tea."

I had him feel the carrots and he said they were soft and mushy.
I had him break open the egg and he saw it was hard-boiled.
I had him take a sip of the tea and he said it tasted warm, strong and rich.

Each of these things encountered the same harsh, boiling water.
The carrots started out tough and crunchy, but the water made them soft, mushy, and weak.
The egg looked the same before and after being boiled, but its inside had become hard.
The mint tea was unique. It changed the water and made the water into something better than it had been.

So, "Which do you want to be?"

Are you tough and sure when things are comfortable, but wilt and lose heart when hard times come?

Do you keep your inner feelings hidden under a shell but let hard times harden your heart and kill your spirit?

Or, do you embrace adversity and turn hard times into times of growth? Do you work to improve difficult situations? Do you look for ways you can make things better around you rather than retreating into yourself?

Tough luck, hard times, gloomy days, heartache, and pain come to everyone - its called 'life' and it happens. People that seem happy or content have just as much trouble in their lives as those that are miserable. They have just found a better way to meet challenges and persevere. They strive to make the most of what life brings them.