Carrot, an Egg and Coffee....

Email rec'd before and wanna record here.

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 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 her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.''Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' 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 hard boiled egg.Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. 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 ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter.
'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? Which one are you? Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength?Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?Or are you 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?

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.The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!

The sun never really goes down, it's just an illusion that the world creates.

大年初三麥家遇狗記！

每年新年都會探麥生一家，今年也不例外，

只是幾個月前麥生一家已遷離黃埔紅磡區。

大年初三下午，我在荃灣地鐵站轉乘小巴直驅芙蓉山村－－

一個我從未聽過、從未涉足的地方。

才到總站，麥生已在路旁揮手迎接，領我到他的新居，

他一家住的，是才新建成的村屋，共有三層，

他們住地下的一層，才進門，已見兩個小豆丁：

Jennifer和昊希各佔書桌的一邊打game，

跟我打了聲招呼，就繼續在game上打滾。

我邊跟麥生閒聊著，邊參觀這間新房子，

七百呎的實用面積，再加上門前門後的位置，

有足夠的空間讓他一家六口生活！

房子外的一處小丘，有伯母種的一株蕃茄，

後門外的位置，也成為他們”浪衫”放置雜物的地方。

未幾，門外一陣擾攘，我和麥生往窗戶探看，

只見一位嬸嬸拖著一隻牧羊犬，替牠找主人。

於是，我和麥生走出門外，那嬸嬸道︰

「這隻狗年卅晚已經在我家門外，見牠可憐，

先收留牠，待牠主人回來找牠……

只是已經幾天了，看來，是被人遺棄的……」

又問在場人士︰「你們有興趣收養牠嗎？」

麥生跟我說︰「Jennifer一直很想養狗呢！」

我摸摸牧羊犬，說︰「那不如你先養養牠！牠看來很乖呢！

若牠主人真的不找牠，你就索性養牠吧！反正現在有地方……」

如是者，就在大年初三，麥生收養了這隻牧羊犬，

我們臨時給牠起名為lucky，但總算有個名字吧！

探悅悅記

大年初二，趁下午空檔時間，到紅磡走了一轉，
探悅悅和mango一家，才進門，悅悅給我一個擁抱，
我隨她進入房裡，送她一本故事書，開始講起故事來。

印象中，自悅悅升上小學後，我已沒有跟她講故事，
這天她很高興，依偎著我，老問我故事的發展，
其實我也是首次讀這個故事，跟她的進度是一樣的。

我在她家待了約一個小時，這天晚上，我失眠了。
我想起anna，想起她還在世時跟她的點滴；
想起悅悅一歲生日會時她述說神的恩典；
想起她化療前我們共赴酒店嘆下午茶；
想起我們一起看"madagascar"，兩歲的悅悅在旁邊跳舞；
想起陪她去化療時她硬淨地走去報到；
想起年05年的終感恩會，我代表mango一家向弟姊們的致意，
生硬地告之大家近況，強抑著心裡的難過；
想起帶著悅悅陪mango去簽約、搬屋，要anna在爺爺麻麻處等；
想起她離世前，與女兒感情若即若離的張力；
想起mango當日致電叫我去見anna最後一面；
想起我在病床前認不清眼前的她，更不曉得說什麼，
只是一直哼著"如鹿渴慕溪水"；
想起抱著才足三歲的悅悅，跟anna道別，見她最後一面；
想起anna離開後三個月，在夢中，anna安慰著我，跟我祈禱……

anna，悅悅很乖巧，mango也很努力，
爺爺麻麻也很疼愛悅悅，你在天堂放心吧！

走錯路

年卅晚，從大姊家吃完晚飯車回家，
天寒地凍，落車後我瑟縮地沿著柯士甸道慢走，
到了樓下，呆了一下，忘了密碼，
再定一定神，發現……原來走錯路，
我正在舊居樓下！
搬了差不多三個星期，怎會走錯路嫁？！
簡直懵到上心口！！！唉！有病！

書棧團年飯與我

11/2(年廿八)，約了一班友好人客午膳團年，
朋友覺得奇怪，才做完書展，我應該還有很多手尾跟，
何解還要搞一個團年飯？我沒有多作解釋，
只應一句「食團年飯開心oY嘛！」

這已是書棧第三年的團年飯，對我而言，
這個團年飯有著特別意義！
經營這間書店，除了書以外，最大的感情來自人，
那些從素未謀面，以致到現在可以交心的朋友；
那些見我收到訂單時，比我還要高興的朋友；
那些在我遇困難時，自動請纓幫忙的朋友……
我深信，能夠遇到這些天使，是我的幸運，
也是神的祝福，是祂對我對書棧的recognition。

每年的團年飯，其實就是「書棧．我」的感謝宴，
是我對神對人的感謝，我相信，神既派天使祝福我，
也必祝福我成為別人的天使， 而書棧就是我和人同得祝福的橋樑！

團年期間，朋友們祝我「生意興隆」、「一本萬利」，
我笑著說多謝，只是，打從心裡就不太接受這兩句話。
於我，收支能夠平衡已經很好了，生意是否興隆根本不是重點，
我更不可能會一本萬利，也不希望「一本」可以得「萬利」，
總覺得這句說話要剝削別人要埋沒良心才能達到的……

我最希望的，是神的同在，主恩常在，
常在我和家人好朋友的身邊，常在我們的心裡！

獨立書店

早陣子託另一位經營書店的行家代訂一些圖書，
書到了，卻因一個忙字，未有時間到她書店提取。
不想霸佔朋友書店的空間和資金，昨夜收工後趕赴其書店，
拿書之餘，跟她一起晚膳，一坐就已經晚上11:30。

她送了一本內地的雜誌給我，今次的主題是獨立書店，
當中訪問了許多日本和內地獨立書店的經營者，
可能自己也是經營獨立書店吧，發覺內裡有很多自己的影子，
感受良多！似是找到一班同路人，在各地的空間裡，
建構自己的理想國度，傳播某種訊息，打造另類的價值。
也不知讀到何時何刻（家裡沒有鐘），總之就是不能放下！

其中一篇談到”開獨立書店不能幹的十件事”，我很有體會，
想特別記下，想開獨立書店的朋友，不妨參詳參詳︰
１．不要找職業經理人，獨立書店的精神是由老闆個人決定的
２．不要為了錢選擇做事，那樣會失去做書店的樂趣
３．不要在店面位置和裝潢花太多錢，顧客不會因店面漂亮來買書
４．不要雇用信奉”成功學”的員工
５．不要把自己定位為ｘｘ的競爭對手，你就是你自己
６．不要為了獲得投資做事情，不要為了獲得投資改變自己
７．不要盲目擴大規模，甚至根本就不擴大、不開分店
８．別被捲進所謂潮流，做不做網店在於自己的選擇
９．不要迎合顧客，不要把自己變成”顧客”喜歡的樣子
１０．別非得把自己和電子書扯上關係

會心的微笑，是讀後最大的感覺。
獨立書店是小草，小草長得再大也是小草，不會成為大樹！
因為小草的本質就是小草，根本無需要做大樹！
第一間的”讀書好棧”（於木球會對面），我「犯」了第三點的毛病，
我是「明知故犯」的，我被景觀和大玻璃吸引，
直認為這是我的理想書店，明知無可能收支平衡，
卻心甘命抵的付上不能承受的租金。
還好，既已預知結果，也沒有什麼大不了！

早陣子搬屋整理雜物時，
無意間看到自己當初開書店時自己寫下的承諾，
我很慶幸，三年多以來，我沒有偏離自己想走的路，
沒有讓自己的使命溜走。我仍然是我自己！