I have a pineapple sitting in my refrigerator.
It’s been there for 3 weeks.
I love fresh pineapple. Usually, I slice one up, the kids and I eat what we want and then I freeze the rest for smoothies. When I have family parties, I love making a huge fruit salad with fresh peaches, strawberries and pineapple.
So why is this un-sliced pineapple staring back at me?
My life has been too busy.
Every time I see the pineapple, I think “I don’t have time to cut it up right now. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
After some examination, I see it’s turned brown. There are soft spots and it’s brittle and shriveled.
It doesn’t appear to be good anymore.
I didn’t take the time to enjoy it.
This old pineapple caused me to reflect today.
On myself
On my kids
and on my relationships;
a little something I like to call "personal inventory."
My life is spinning at a pace that sometimes makes me dizzy.
There are so many amazing opportunities and adventures; ideas and dreams. There are so many things I want to experience, I want to touch and feel. I want to take risks and run and try to reach the moon.
But there’s laundry and a check-engine light on in my car and cobwebs on my ceiling.
Life means responsibilities and when push comes to shove, the responsibilities win, because my kid need clean socks and taxes need to get done.
So, the pineapple sits in the back of my refrigerator, ignored until one day, I see something that looks like a brittle palm tree prong staring back at me. I remember when I bought it, why I bought it and wonder how the opportunity slipped away.
Can it be reclaimed or is it gone forever?
I make a commitment with myself.
Slow down, take time to smell the roses, let slobbery kisses from my kids linger on my lips, take a walk every day and compliment the people I love
(like when the counselor showed me his carrot crop from our garden).
When I shower I will let the conditioner sit on my hair for the recommended three-minutes instead of rushing to rinse it off. I will be in the moment, laugh when my children laugh, see life through their eyes and sympathize with there struggles and by golly, take the time to eat fresh pineapple.
Linking up to:
