Life's a Peach

Hmmm, something that's bothered me over the years is how fruit has gotten so expensive and yet half the time or more, it doesn't really taste very good. I've developed a sort of avoidance to buying oranges and nectarines and peaches from the supermarket. Too many expensive mealy peaches and oranges. I just hate it when they are like that. I know that fruit is bred now to endure shipping in trucks across the country and for long shelf life in the grocery store. I know about plant breeding. Sadly. I see these beautiful orbs piled up in the produce department, reminding me of costume jewelry draped on black velvet under special bright lights. They look sooo good. My tongue has been disappointed too many times.

This time of year peaches can come fresh from the tree. I have visited peach orchards and have truly found the abundance and sight of glowing soft- looking golden red jewels amongst the pointed leaves enchanting. Oh yes, it takes my breath away. And I feel fulfilled. To actually pick one from the tree and eat it, letting the juice drip on me, well that is like the cycle of life to me. Especially on a warm late-summer day. If only there were more of these kind of days.

Ripening~peaches need ripening. How sad that those sold far from their trees are not really meant to ripen but to be sold. And ripening is a waiting thing, a knowing thing. Starting when we are young, we develop that intuition of knowing when fruit is ripe. We learned that from biting too soon into a hard and sour plum or nectarine. We didn't need our mothers to teach us this art of waiting and knowing. We learned through experience. And somehow this is like our lives in a bigger way. You know, a metaphor. How many sour, hard peaches do we need to taste before we master the delicate art of ripening?

Wow, life is a peach. This is not what I intended to write. And it fills me both with happiness and questions about my own beliefs. Wariness and visions. Gratefulness and fear. Fear of the superficial and controlled falseness that seems to run this world, and biting into the sour hard fruit. Grateful for those late-summer days when a peach is the most special thing in the world, and seeing a child's fingers hold one as big as his hand is a gift.

Aho!