Sunday, March 11, 2012

water talk

Last week I received one of those semi-annoying emails - you know the ones that start with some true story about "my uncles friends brother-in-law" who had this uplifting conversation/experience/epiphany, told in a manner that beats you over the head with some universal truth you should know, but can't apply to 'real' life. Yeah - one of those.  Except, behind the wanky story it kind of had an important point; one that is quite applicable to me right now.

Basically, when the same heat of boiled water is applied separately to three things - a carrot, an egg and coffee beans - they all respond very differently.  The once firm carrot gets soggy - weakened by the boiling water; the eggs interior once fluid, is now hard and tough; but the coffee beans... well they change the water don't they, the clever little beans. The coffee beans impart their essence into the water, and in doing so, create something lovely - unlike the shitty carrot and egg, which allow the hot water to ruin them. You see, in this equation, maybe the 'hot water' is my work situation... and while I desperately want to be the coffee beans - I think I might be the hard boiled egg, or depending on the day, the carrots.

A clever quote I read once, some time ago sticks with me most days. Reminding me what I struggle to be:

Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water... (Bruce Lee)

Only problem is, I think at the moment, I'm an ice-cube.

SB

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