the banana...

The things that come to mind that I want to write about- it's amazing really. Today, bananas. You see, on Sunday, at work, I was taught a life lesson from a banana. I like fruit. Most of the time. It keeps me healthy, it's kinda sweet, and as long as it doesn't have too many seeds, we get along rather well. So, I'm standing over my computer at work, calling the degenerates who have yet to return their movies even though it's been 19 days; and I'm eating my mid-morning snack, our aforementioned banana. Now friends, this was a good banana. In all terms of good. Not too green, and yet not too brown. Sweet and not too tart. Solid, but not too solid, squishy but not too. . .Okay, you get the idea. This banana was clearly in it's prime. So here I am, dialing number after number and getting angry at the people who "loaned that movie to a friend who swears he brought it back" when I realize I'm halfway through this banana and how truly great it is. I stop my needless phone calls to enjoy the rest of the banana and that's when it hits me. It's a Sunday morning. I would rather be at church than at work. Hell, I'd rather be ANYWHERE than at Family Video. It's cold like sin- I mean really, it was 8. I'm alone at work, it's slow and I'm calling morons who are too irresponsible to return anything. And yet, this banana is great. And I think of the time I had a pear in the Bahamas. We crossed this deathtrap of a street only to endure this street market where I'm sure people have died or been raped and I let Laci talk me into buying a pear. And this pear turned into the best piece of fruit I have ever had. But looking back, I wonder how great the pear really was. I mean, for pete's sake, it's just a piece of fruit. Maybe it was so memorable because it was my last day on this tropical island, it was spring break, I was there with almost all 16 of my closest girl friends, I was starving and I was truly in my element: swimsuit and flip flops. And then I thought of the banana I had in Nicaragua and the fruit in Honduras and even the oranges in Florida. All of these "great pieces of fruit" that stick out in my mind and all of the amazing places where I found them. And now I have this banana. This Kroger banana that I ate alone at work Sunday morning over my computer on the coldest day of February. The fruit doesn't control me. And yet neither should my surroundings. It's all about my head and the gunk I let in and let control me. You see, as soon as I came to this realization, I stepped over by the window, into the sun, and imagined I was not at work, and that I was on some beach with another perfect drop of fruity goodness. And it worked. The banana was heavenly, even more so than before. Okay, okay, I know, I sound crazy- it's just fruit. But really, that's all anything is. It's all fruit, or homework, or a messy house or a bad shift at work. All fruit! I am so controlled by the crap I feed myself (mentally). It runs my moods, my attitude, my outlook. I'm never happy. When it's winter, I wish it was summer, when it's spring, I can't wait for fall, I mean really, I even wish for winter at times! (although now, I can't really remember why) My inner monologue dominates who I am, and not always for good. And so, inner monologue, it's time for some Percocet and finding the glass half full. It's time to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and always look on the bright side of life. It all goes back to one of my favorite phrases: Contentment is a choice. So that's it really, contentment lessons from a banana. Please don't judge me too harshly, I know I'm a little crazy :)