Monday, January 12, 2009

Eating The Apple Core

About a year ago my son asked me for an apple, so I gave him one. He took and began eating it, and it was interesting to watch him because he had no ordered way of consuming the fruit. He just ate the apple. I walked away for a moment to clean up another area of the kitchen we were in, and when I walked back over to my son a few minutes later he had began eating the apple core. Everything in me at the time wanted to stop him and let him know he was eating it wrong and then it struck me. There was nothing wrong with eating the apple core. In fact by eating core he was consuming beneficial nutrients the apple had to offer. So I let him eat it. Its amazing to consider how many times we limit ourselves simply because we dare not do something different. Sure there are necessary limits in life, but I wonder how many times we limit ourselves for no reason at all. There is something freeing in coloring outside the lines, and I believe its important to challenge ourselves from time to time to consider whether or not we are limiting ourselves for no reason at all. My son reminded me of a valuable lesson that day as I watched him eat the apple core. He reminded me to never unnecessarily limit myself to an idea or practice. In fact I stand a good chance at gaining more of an understanding sometimes when I choose to color outside the lines. All this to say when you see me eating an apple, and you watch as I eat the apple core, you’ll know I’m considering if I’m being limited in my thinking or if I’m pushing the boundaries.