It is a wintry Wednesday morning here in Michigan.
Not the sparkly, movie-scene kind of winter. The real one. Gray sky. Quiet streets. That gentle creaking sound old houses make when the temperature drops, like the walls are stretching their bones. My house sits in a historical subdivision, and on days like this it feels especially alive, like it has stories it wants to tell if you would just slow down enough to listen.
I am at my workstation with a bowl of berries.
They were not my first choice today. They had been pushed to the back of the refrigerator, politely waiting behind much more exciting things like cheesecake. But something told me to grab them anyway. I rinsed them off, poured them into a bowl, and immediately noticed the truth.
Some were molded. Those had to go.
Some were a little smooshed.
Some were still perfectly ripe and beautiful.
Some were tart.
Some were sweet in that way that makes you pause for a second and smile.
And suddenly I thought about that old Forrest Gump line about life being like a box of chocolates.
I love that line. But today, sitting here with my winter light and my creaky house and my very honest bowl of fruit, I realized that life feels more like a bowl of berries.
Because life is not all neat and wrapped in pretty little papers.
Life is a little messy. Some parts get forgotten for a while. Some parts do not age well. Some moments have to be thrown away because they no longer serve you. Some moments surprise you with sweetness when you were not expecting it. Some make you pucker and blink a few times before you keep going.
You do not get to choose a bowl made of only perfect pieces.
You get a mix.
You get the good, the bruised, the overlooked, the forgotten, the moments that needed more care, and the ones that still manage to be beautiful anyway.
And the magic is not in pretending everything is perfect.
The magic is in learning how to sort through it gently.
Keeping what nourishes you.
Letting go of what does not.
And appreciating the sweetness when it shows up.
So today, on this quiet Wednesday, I am sitting with my bowl of berries and my creaky old house and my winter sky, feeling oddly grateful for the reminder.
Life does not need to be flawless to be beautiful.
It just needs to be real.
And it needs to be tasted while it is here.
Ask yourself today…
Are you good at letting go of what no longer serves you, or do you tend to hold on a little longer than you should?
Where have you been rushing past the sweetness lately, and what would it look like to slow down long enough to really taste it?
Leave a Reply