Change Your Day And Life With The Answer To The Apple Photo

In my post 17 Truths That Could Change Your Day And Life I posted a picture of a half eaten apple discarded among the trees and leaves. Usually the photo that I publish with my post has an obvious connection to whatever subject I’m writing about.

This picture was different.

The connection wasn’t obvious and so many people asked me, “What’s the deal with the apple?”

The apple picture was meant to make everyone stop and think. The “meaning” and the “photo” wasn’t an easy “initial” connection. The picture was a matter of self-interpretation. These were the things I thought when I posted it:

• I’m at least halfway through my life. I’m continually discarding the old “bad habits or behaviors” and making “changes” to become a better version of myself. Everything I do today can either improve my circumstance in the future or cause me unhappiness and stump my progression. (Corresponds to the title and subject of the post – Change Your Day And Life)

• Leave the past in the past and let it rot away. (Corresponds with Truth #1: Stay in the present. The future hasn’t happened yet and it is too late to change the past. The present offers opportunity.)

• The person eating the apple was relaxed and taking a nice stroll looking at nature when she decided she was too full to eat the rest of the apple, so she discarded it under a tree and out of the way of other people on the dirt path. (Corresponds with Truth #3: Slow down. Life is not a race. You will miss the small joys in life if you rush.)

• Anyone happening upon the apple will not know: when the apple was put right there among the leaves and trees; who put the apple in that location; what time of day or what the weather was like when it was put there; if the apple was gently placed, thrown or kicked into that spot; or where the person is that discarded the half eaten apple. The only thing known for sure is that the half eaten apple has been left right there and saw it. Does the answer to any of those questions matter in the grand scheme of life? (Corresponds with Truth #4: Other people have an opinion of you and it isn’t any of your business what they are thinking.)

• When someone sees the apple discarded beside the dirt path, they have many options. One of those options is to think about the who, when, where, what and how of the apple that has been thrown away. They could obsess over all the circumstances of the apple. Another option is the complete opposite of the first. They could completely ignore everything about the apple and never think about it again. There are quite a few choices between those to options, but the point is that you have the freedom to choose what you think. How you react to that thinking is also entirely up to you too. Take it from a think-it-to-death-person, DON’T think everything to death. DON’T assume the negative about a person or situation. If you make it a habit to always assume the BEST, you will find that life is more of a positive experience. It also will help not to add to negative self-talk or self-defeating behaviors. LIVE TODAY and THIS MOMENT making the best choices possible. Enjoy the little things because in an instant, they can be gone. (Corresponds with Truth #6: Give your brain a break from all that thinking. You’ll never know all the answers anyway.)

• The apple will rot and return to the dirt to provide nourishment. (Corresponds with Truth #7: Time heals most things if you keep your mind and heart open, but it could take a long time to be healed. There is no time limit on healing grief. The “steps” to healing have been psychologically identified, but since we are all so different, even the order of the steps and the amount of time spent at each stage will be different. There is no RIGHT amount of time to heal or grieve. Remember that point…There is no RIGHT amount of time to heal or grieve. There is no healing grief indicator scale. Also notice that I said time heals MOST things. MOST. Not ALL. That’s all I’m going to say about it.)

• We need to listen AT LEAST half the time we talk – the apple is half eaten. Some people crave attention for various reasons and like to hear themselves talk, but don’t place that much importance on listening. Communication is vital. Neither extreme, being a brick wall or blabbing lips, is the “best” way to communicate. Having a give and take, talking and listening type of conversation builds relationships. The extremes tears them apart. (Corresponds with Truth #8: Observe and listen more than you talk.)

• When you saw the apple did you think, “I wouldn’t ever throw a half eaten apple away right here by the path. The person who threw it is an idiot.” Which in essence means that you think you are better than the person who threw it. However, what if you discovered that a child had been eating the apple and accidentally dropped it in the dirt. The mother couldn’t clean it off enough to be eaten and since she was already carrying twins, the mother was unable to do anything more than kick the apple into the leaves next to the path. Now do you feel “better than” the person who discarded the apple?Let’s look at it from another point of view. Many people are obsessed with celebrities and their lives. They wish they could know them or better yet, be the celebrity. What a waste of YOUR life. Do you remember when Russell Armstrong, husband of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast member, Taylor Armstrong, killed himself? He was a 47 year old celebrity. Russell Armstrong was found dead after hanging himself. No drugs or alcohol were found in the bedroom where he died and he didn’t leave a suicide note. His wife of six years filed for a divorce a month earlier after she claimed he physically abused her. He had a debt of $1.5 million and people didn’t know he was severely depressed…depressed enough to kill himself. When watching another person, celebrity or not, you only see what you see. You do not know the full story or the whole truth. Therefore, comparing yourself to another person is futile because you only know a small piece of their reality. I never watch “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” but if you do, did you ever wish to have Russell Armstrong’s life? How about now? Since you know a little more about his life and that the unhappiness caused him so much depression that he killed himself, do you still wish you had Russell Armstrong’s life?

  Be thankful to be YOU with all that makes you who you are today. Just because someone looks like they have it all together on the outside doesn’t mean that they aren’t tormented on the inside. (Corresponds with Truth #9: Never compare yourself or your life with anyone else because you only see a small part of their truth.)

• Using the previous example of the mother with twins, if you were the mother, where would your emotions be as you walked away from the apple? Would you just forget it or would you instead obsess over the fact that you had to leave a half eaten apple beside the path? Stuff happens in life. Nothing is going to be perfect. Having expectations of perfection for a circumstance or person is only going to disappoint you. Allowing yourself to constantly stress is not going to improve your life. Actually, stress will deteriorate your health and happiness. When you eat half an apple and regret either eating any of it or discarding the other half, forgive yourself, don’t repeat the mistake in the future and let it go. (Corresponds with Truth #10: Don’t let stress and anxiety ruin your life. It will rob you of both health and happiness.)

• If you can’t stand the taste of an apple, but fake liking it when people are watching, you will add many unpleasant moments to your life. Why fake it? Is it really worth faking it in the long run? Does faking it hurt another person? What if your spouse thinks that you just love apples and is always making you apple dishes like apple pie and apple cake? Maybe they don’t discover your dislike of apples for ten years. How do you think your spouse will feel when they find out you were faking it for ten years? Being up front and honest is the best way to live and also brings about the least amount of regret. Why lie? Why not be honest with yourself and live that truth? I can barely tolerate being around a lying liar that lies. It’s a loathsome trait. (Corresponds with Truths #11 and #16: To believe in something and not live it is dishonest. It will drag down your soul in the denial AND Honesty is the best policy even if the truth is ugly and painful.)

• I’ve had my share of sad and depressing days when I just wanted to cease existence on the planet. Those were some dark days. As dark as they were I always had at least one good thing and standing truth every day – My daughter lives and loves me. That fact was the one that kept me alive some days when PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) was at its worst. (Corresponds with Truth #12: Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.)

• Worrying about why the apple is only half eaten by a stranger will not change anything. The apple is half eaten and left to rot. That’s the facts. They aren’t going to change. So there is really no need to worry about it. (Corresponds with Truth #14: Worrying never fixed anything.)

• Coming upon the apple, a person would have no idea why someone left it there or why it was only half eaten. Sometimes we never know the answer to “why” something happens. (Corresponds with Truth #15: There’s no logic in falling in love. Your heart feels what it feels and can’t answer why.)

As you can see, there is really no wrong answer to the relationship of the apple photo to the post…lots of points of view and room for interpretation. It was a contemplative picture. You may have another interpretation of the apple as it relates to the post and that’s good because it means you have stopped, relaxed and thought about important truths of life. That was my whole intention with the photo. The picture was a post within a post.