My "practicing kindness" banner has a close-up of an apple on it. I am slowly but surely becoming a huge fan of apples, and here's why: if I had to pick a fruit to represent my personality and my current state, it would definitely be an apple.
Actually, that's not true. Given the choice, I'd pick something more complicated, like a pomegranate, or more adorable, like a clementine, or even something more mysterious and exciting, like a kiwi. But when it really comes down to it, I'm an apple.
Apples are simple, nutritious, a fine source of fiber, and good at being friendly with many other types of foods, including peanut butter and cheddar. They're basically sweet with a bit of a tangy edge, just enough to be refreshing.
They are tasty on their own, excellent when folded into a pastry crust, and fabulous even when you boil them and smash them for applesauce: adaptable, no?
Apples are also thin-skinned and easily bruised, but hardy for all that. That core with the seeds shouldn't be ignored, even though you can get away with a lot before you hit it. Plus if you carve a little face and leave the apple out to dry, it can be pretty dang scary at Halloween!
So all in all, apples aren't too bad. The other quality that really appeals to me right now is their straightforwardness and obvious wholeness.
An apple is an object easily grasped; it's one of the first subjects an art student might tackle in a still life composition and one of the first snacks you might grab in the grocery store's produce section. With an apple, there aren't too many surprises, and there's nothing secretive or complicated about it. What you see is pretty much what you get. I work fairly hard to be that way, actually, to be transparent and honest and whole in my interactions with other people, and so part of practicing kindness with myself means being content and pleased with being a simple, wholesome apple. What fruit or vegetable are you, and why?
2 comments:
What a great post! I really heard your voice come through these words and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
I have NO idea what sort of fruit or vegetable I'd be. I need to think about this! My favorite fruit is a lemon, but I'm reluctant to claim it as my fruit mascot because of the bitter connotations. But maybe there's something there, definitely *food* for thought. Ha!
Thanks for your thought provoking post!
Thanks, Molly! It's kind of a fun thing to think about, right?
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