An Apple a Day is Wasted per Day
30 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago, the boys and I were walking to the park when we noticed a tremendous amount of beautiful little red fallen apples on the sidewalk. Then we pin-pointed the source – two apple trees laden with apples just yelling at us to be eaten, hanging over the fence. The low-hanging fruit were not so low-hanging, so we picked up a couple that landed on the side walk and took bites into our respective apples. Wow! The taste, juiciness, color…perfect! Nothing that resembled what you would see at the store, of course. Rather, they were small and some a little odd-shaped, some were appetizers for birds and they lacked the waxy coat. But they were the best tasting apples we had eaten all summer and fall, if not ever.
We rang the apple tree owner’s door to see if they were willing to share the fruit (seemily they had more than enough to share). The neighbors were very warm and welcoming when I asked if we could pick their apples. They neighbors were not the problem. It was the amount of totally and utterly wasted apples that were laying on the ground rotting away from three perfectly fabulous trees, supplying a healthy, convenient and even pretty food source. There were hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of small apples wasting away. I was saddened that no one took advantage of such a lovely God-given fruit. I asked the owners if they did not eat the apples and it was almost a response in unison that they were not fans of the fruit. Fine, who am I to tell you that you need to enjoy them the way the boys and I do. But to just let all this food go to waste?
Well, I am not here to judge, but it was hard not to be so disappointed that they would not at least take the time to pick them and set them out at the end of their driveway with a “free” sign. Come on, I know in our country, things are readily available and so very easily disposable. But is this a reason to not take a little time to share the fruit and avoid such waste? Man, what I would do for just one of those apple trees in our yards.
Our four and two year old boys, each had one while I was picking the apples, then each another while walking back to the car and then asked for yet a third round after getting buckled in their car seats. I thought that eating three was a bit much just before dinner, so I suggested them as dessert after dinner. After dinner was over, you would have thought the boys were eating a molten chocolate cake!
We enjoyed our 20 pounds of red, crispy, yummy apples (which we ended up having to share with friends). I was inspired to be mindful of my own waste and not just observe others. May you also be inspired to find ways to find happiness and peace in your day, reduce waste, and enjoy fresh-picked fruit.
~Sasha
