The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree
As you grow up you get to observe, both consciously and unconsciously, the mindset of your parents and caregivers. They are, after all, the most prominent people in your life from whom you learn how this world works. My experience was no different to any other and I got to watch my dad and his determination to have a positive mindset no matter what life threw at him. And it definitely threw him some curveballs. Yet he would whistle while he shaved in the morning, no matter what was going on, and challenge you that ‘this was a good day, wasn’t it?’. A day full of possibilities just waiting to be explored.
I was not quite so positive in my outlook (insert direct opposite of positive) and would often be perplexed by his optimism. I admired it, wanted it, but struggled with the ‘reality’ of how I saw things. My singing of hymns was more to comfort my aching heart rather than the hymns he whistled, as he thought about God’s goodness to him and his excitement about what the world had to offer today.
Leap forward many years and lots of learnings and I have a much more positive outlook. Not perfect by any means but definitely way more on the positive side of the scale than it used to be. I have learnt that my ‘reality’ is not really reality at all, but just my perception of things. I have learned that there are, indeed, many many things to be thankful for if I set my mind to the seeing of them. The power of choice is mine over what I think and ponder on. These lessons are not a ‘once done and over’ class, but rather a continuing lesson that rolls round and round, and probably will do so for the entirety of my time here on earth. While my brain continues to function and think, I will have choices to make every day about what I am dwelling on and on how I view things.
My mind seems to be the stage on which my life is determined. The realization that I am stage director/script writer/conductor of my own story has been very empowering and pivotal. But still there are continuing lessons, like this week… I am baking and need apples. I go the fridge and discover we have run out. Being already halfway through making the pie, I decide to brave one of the remaining apple trees that haven’t been harvested yet. I didn’t harvest them because last year they had been full of coddling moth due to a couple of very mature apple trees in a neighbouring section that are riddled with it. Despite my best efforts of spraying and laying traps the apples were still loaded with Coddling Moth activity. This season I had used Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) spray instead but had only got to do it a couple of times. This left me ASSUMING that this year’s crop would be even worse. As I have been super busy with family activities I figured I didn’t have time to waste on taking out all the coddling decay for very little return. And so I left the apples on the trees and had told myself I would deal with that later.Now I needed to get the apples, despite the work involved.
Pleasantly surprised is an understatement as I peeled and quartered each apple finding beautiful clean apples, with no sign at all of Coddling Moth in the entire tree bar one apple in a small section. I had nearly lost and wasted an entire tree of apples due to my mindset. The way I had thought had not been challenged. I had not checked. And this mindset was causing me great loss. If my mindset had not been challenged how would I have gone into next season? Would I have decided to not spray at all, like what’s the use? Or saying that ACV spraying didn’t work? Extreme results might have been, in time, to rip out the tree and try planting something else instead.
Who knows exactly where it might have ended… how the story might have played out, but I was reminded yet again to choose carefully because I am writing my own story, little adventures one at a time. I get to choose the ending. And quite frankly, I would like to be an apple that hasn’t fallen too far from the tree.
Lynda Symons Artistry 
What a good post. You write so well. Keep up the good work as it’s inspiring others and encouraging to the older apple tree. He enjoyed your post. Love you Mum😁💖
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Glad he liked it. Better than if he got the pip…haha, Dad jokes 🙂 He’s been an inspiration to me.
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