Don't Knock it Till You Tried It

I hung out with family this past week...

Is this how it's supposed to be? Bruises on my legs and knees, cuts all over my hands, a huge bump on my forehead, and a trip the hospital!? Also, why did they have to knock her over? She hit her head on the concrete floor...

Well before I go into the details of what happened, I just had a random thought I wanted to mention.

I'm a pretty understanding/accepting person, and I think Fruit (that's right, apples, oranges, pears) is one of things that reinforced this trait. I'm not crazy, I simply enjoy finding connections. Hear me out:

When I was 6/7 I recall my Aunt coming over with a strange, almost scary, looking fruit - the KIWI. I was repulsed by its hairy exterior and almost afraid to touch it. Cutting the fruit open and revealing its neon green "meat" and pitch black seeds worried me even more. Nevertheless, after some coaching, I took a bite and fell in love. The inside taste, which IS most important, wiped out all superficial concerns based on external characteristics. Eventually, I even learned to appreciate the soft, bristly hairs on the Kiwi as...cute? maybe just neat.

This idea of internal value trumping external appearance was reiterated to me when I first ate Honeydew Melon, Sweet Plantains (they look like they're ROTTING BANANAS), stringy mangos, etc. Aside from being healthy, fruit, especially "exotic fruit," teaches children a lot about embracing imperfections and not judging a book by it's cover.  Coconuts are another good example...never tried one though.

Enough of that, now back to the family wounds...

No, I was not abused this weekend. I spent much of the past week with family and it was actually quite pleasant...aside from the injuries. Yesterday, I spent the day putting in a new ceiling with my father. My hands have never looked or felt so rough! While I was annoyed I had to help out, I've found that these little interactions with my father help strengthen the barely visible bond we have. Neither of us communicates well with the other, so the rare occasions where we spend hours together really help our relationship. As much as my brain might be thinking "man, I could be blogging (HA) or applying for a job (HAHA)," my heart is telling me I need to be interacting with and helping my father ... for the sake of our relationship/family and in respect to our mortality.

On Wednesday, my Aunt was accidentally knocked over at work and hit her head on the concrete floor. My sister and I rushed to the hospital to make sure all was okay. She ended up being fine, so we checked my Aunt out and enjoyed a nice lunch together before taking her home...this lunch and our discussion may be the reason why I apply for grad school in 2010.

Then on Saturday my Mom, Dad, Sister, and I all went to breakfast together, and although it was tough for me, it was great for the family. We all made an agreement a few weeks prior to consciously try and communicate better with one another. You would have to understand my family in order to know why such an agreement was necessary. Communication and displays of affection were just never really strong in my household. Very little was overtly expressed growing up, so 15 years later not much has/had changed.  Even so, everyone in my family recognized the need for it.

As my mom put it, "We are not promised tomorrow." "We've been blessed to all be alive and healthy together for this long.  Let's enjoy our time together."

This ugly and honest thought impacted me somewhat significantly. Now, I'm struggling to defeat decades of emotion/conditioning in order to strengthen my family connection and avoid having regrets...

It all begins with communication. Love and understanding rise and fall with communication... ... and fruit (smile).

Have a delicious, eye-opening Kiwi and 

Be Well,