Is Enjoying Higher Sugar Fruit Really THAT Bad?!

Nine years ago or so, a total stranger stopped me dead in my tracks, as I was on my way to my office after teaching (or maybe it was the other way around - I was on the way to a classroom to teach), eating a banana.

The stranger was fast to offer unsolicited advice: "Do you know that bananas are high in sugar? You should eat an apple instead."

I am aware that people are full of opinions that they believe are wise pieces of advice, not mere streams of consciousness. But, I was taken a bit by surprise. It wasn't as if I was trying to polish off a huge decadent cake in one fell swoop. I was snacking on a banana.

***

Moments ago, I was partaking on strawberries, blueberries, and mango I prepared last night. The fruit is not marinating in confectioner's sugar, honey, or some other sweetener. It is just naked fruit. If enjoying fruit is the beginning of the end of my health and well-being, there are worse ways to go.

Clouded Vision and Gaining Clarity

I didn't mind the wet, blurry windshield. I found it beautiful.

That would not have been a welcome sight, had I been maneuvering in my vehicle.

That got me to thinking about how this clouded vision is akin to a couple of matters in my life: my profession and the fiction novel I am currently writing.

A Profession, an Occupation

I went through the requisite schooling to become an academic. I thought I was paving the road to becoming an academic. Life circumstances and desert conditions of academia have forced me to revisit what I will do with my education and my life.

Not that I will never be an academic.

But now, I am realizing that my focused educational background plays a crucial role in other ways: public speaking and writing (not limited to academic endeavors).

I am going into uncharted, unfamiliar territories. Making my own path is not necessarily a symptom of failure; playing an active role in shaping my profession is okay.

Writing this Novel

The process of writing has been excited, adventurous, frustrating, slow, intense, sometimes dry and thwarted, complete with a steep learning curve.

There have been times where my writing has stalled or stopped completely for one reason or another. The longer the period between writing, the more doubtful I sometimes grow in the project I am endeavoring to complete.

Insofar as writing is concerned, what has worked best for me is setting a schedule for completion. For awhile, I had stopped writing according to any schedule. What will be most helpful for the time being, is to commit to revising a chapter a week. Working to complete that goal, rather focusing on how cluttered, hectic, and demanding my daily schedule is, will help.

"I don't watch movies. They lie."

We were supposed to state what we considered "Best Movie Ever!" Could not help but notice the comment "I don't watch movies! They lie."

Surveying the reaction to that response, people seemed a bit put off that someone would write that. Movies tell stories, narratives.

What makes me curious is the story behind the comment. What contributed or influenced the person to write, "I don't watch movies! They lie." This inquiring mind wants to know.

My Love-Hate Relationship with Nature

A person once asked me, "Why don't you like flowers?"

There is no chance I do not like flowers.

Hands down, spring is one of favorite seasons. Beauty comes alive in nature, after being dormant for a season. Butterflies and bees emerge. It is a wonderful sight to behold.

As breath-taking a sight as it is to behold, my body reacts in opposition: the eye irritation, the stye that has paid an uninvited visit, the tender and blocked sinuses in my face, the stopped up nose, the fatigue.

Forgive me if, after moments of enjoying nature, I seek refuge to prevent further pain and suffering from my body's adverse reaction to everything that moves in nature.

The Path to Success is not always what it seems

Sometimes the cost (of success) is physical, impacting one's limbs, in more ways than one.

Oftentimes the impact is not only skin deep.

Perhaps questioning or doubting one's skills in the related fields; experiencing cut-throat, merciless competition; working extra long hours and still wondering whether one will succeed.

If someone had told me that being successful would also include feelings or experiences of betrayal, mistrust, angst, loneliness, isolation, or anxiety, I do not think I would run to the front of the line to sign up for the punches.

On the flip side, if someone told me that my difficult, gut-wrenching experiences have a significant role to play in the success of what I am and will be doing, I would view my past experiences in a different light.

I am not usually one to ask any 'why me' questions.

And, I try to look to see how my experiences, however painful and isolating they may seem, are opportunities for me to grow as well as situations in which I can help others.

If some of my circumstances took place to pave the way for success, the pain feels different, the interpretations of those experiences change, and the forwards goal steals the stage.

Cheers to success!

The Grouchy Butterfly

Plenty of life's worthwhile experiences come with difficulties, struggles, and pain.

Training and Pain

Cutting teeth. I still have memories of itching gums and experiencing pain from new teeth emerging (through the gums).

Figuring out how to read. Sounding out letters, putting together sounds, and attempting to pronounce words, is maddening, when one wants to be able to read and speak right away. After learning to pronounce words and read sentences, more obstacles come. One has to figure out what sentences collectively are communicating. Learning to read is not cake.

Training for a sport. I remember years of tennis lessons, camps, private lessons, practicing. Running suicides, strength training, learning to shuffle from base line to base line, running forwards and backwards from the mid-line to the base line, training the body (and hand-eye) coordination to hit balls to particular spots on the court involved a lot of sweat, sheer exhausting effort, and dedication.

Learning to play an instrument. I started taking piano lessons when I was four and a half years old and continued through high school (and then some private piano for credit at the university). Practicing scales and arpeggios, finding ways to effectively and beautifully play through trouble spots in pieces, minding dynamics, working on playing technique was boring, frustrating, painful, at times.

Learning about oneself and maturing as a person is no cup of tea. I am giving a talk on identity tonight. There is too much to be said to include a concise summary here. Suffice to say that truly learning about oneself, to start; takes patience, discerning, self-reflection.

All for Something Better

We invite and endure such struggle and pain, with the expectation that the finished product is well worth the investment.

With teeth, we can enjoy so many more varieties of deliciously tasty food.

With the ability to read, we are less limited and have so much more access to the world.

There is something to be said about mastering a sport. By 'mastering' a sport, I don't mean becoming a world-famous athlete. In the process of immersing oneself in a sport well, one has to take care of the body in many ways: eating well, looking after the heart through cardiovascular training, toning one's muscles, training the mind to work with the body. A person's body is being refined and molded.

As for music, I have so much fondness associated with music. Though the years of practicing and competing were tough on different levels, the diligent effort has allowed me to express myself through music (and other arts), be an accompanist, and enjoy communicating through music.

Regarding personal growth and maturity, I am not afraid to identify or examine my feelings. That is not to say there are feelings I do not particularly enjoy or appreciate, whether sadness, despair, loneliness, feeling alone, or anger. Through the ongoing process of getting to know myself and growing, I have gained a much more robust and meaningful understanding of who I am.

My Pain of Writing

My struggle and pain for today is pressing forward with writing. 

Figuring out how to communicate the underlying message in the book through showing and not telling, learning to prune without cutting out vital information, encouraging and being generous with the creative, inviting the imaginative out to play, keeping in mind all of life's lessons whilst writing, allowing the characters' personalities to take their unique forms, believing I have something worthwhile to share.

Balancing my daily responsibilities (which keep me running nonstop, with precious little sleep) with writing is difficult. I have yet to figure out how to do that well.

Yet, I am attempting to hold steadfast on to the hope that my work of fiction will not merely make or a good read but will transform lives.

Being Good to Oneself is not Being Hedonistic or Selfish

I am in a place or position where I put the needs of others before mine. That has often left me eating long past due, sleeping less than I need to function properly, and leaving my own time to whatever meager crumbs remain.

The trouble is, functioning that way resulted in a startling wake-up call that forced me to rethink and reorganize my own rank and role in the priorities. No longer can my existence or my well being be ignored nor my basic necessities denied.

I need to sleep. The ideal is a minimum of six to eight hours a day. Though that sort of sleep is not likely to happen on a regular basis, I have a goal towards which I will strive.

I require more than just three meals a day. And I should not be waiting and eating, hours after the typical eating times. My body needs Essen every 2-3 hours.

And, I am finding out that I need to be doing some other things to be good to myself.

Not Selfish

Making sure I am part of the living and realizing that I can better able care for others by tending to my needs, is not being selfish.

It is not for the lack of concern for others that I care for myself or tend to some of my needs.

In fact, without eating well or sleeping enough, I could easily be rendered incapable of assisting others.

Not Hedonistic

Perhaps some of the non-basic needs I am adding to the list of 'to dos' to be good to myself might be categorized as frivolities or pursuits of pleasure (for pleasure's sake).

You may take whatever interpretation you desire. One should be able to exercise free thought.

But, I am doing the best to improve the quality of my life by discerning and choosing with care.

By taking better care of myself, I am better equipped to do those other things I spoke of at the start.