This photo is from exactly one year ago today. It was a perfect watermelon, picked at the peak of ripeness. It was a special watermelon because it was the only one of eight that was perfectly ripe. That's because I picked every other one too soon.
Watermelons are tricky things. They grow long, rambling vines with little yellow flowers, and then, after what seems like ages, tiny fruits form that engorge slowly at first, and then suddenly very rapidly. I'm out there checking them all the time, seeing if their bellies are yellow, if they sound hollow when I thump them, and if the pig's tail (the little tendril closest to where the stem and the fruit attach) has turned brown. Inevitably, there comes a day when kids are playing in the yard and the sun is beating down and I somehow convince myself that the watermelon is rotting because I missed its best day. And I pick it. And it's white, or barely pink inside. And I ask, beg, plead for patience for the next time.
And so, now, this year, I am being faced with a "next time." I have only harvested one watermelon this year so far, and I picked it too soon. But yesterday, I discovered a new one, hidden beneath the vines, fattening up nicely with its big, yellow moon spot and speckles of yellow stars across its green shell. And I know I'll come up with a reason to want to pick it each and every day. "In honor of the total lunar eclipse this morning," I'll say. Or "we just washed the car and wouldn't that be nice" or "I have nothing else to put in the lunchboxes." But no. This time, I will be patient. I will be patient with my ambitions and my family and my watermelon. I will be patient because good things come to those who wait. I will be patient because it is clearly a lesson I need to learn.
You know the saying: Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars. Well, today, my saying is slightly different. Don't reach for the moon and stars watermelon. Wait, Pattie. Wait. Because a ripe watermelon is a treasure. And patience is, too.
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4 comments:
LOL! I can so relate. I'm going through the same thing with my cantaloupe right now!!
The cantaloupe detaches from the vine when it's ready with the slightest of tugs. Pop. It's off. Have you tried that?
There are still firmly attached, oh you bet I've tried!! LOL! :)
Or is it "strike while the iron is hot?" If we have patience, it will get cold. Patience is a tricky thing, weighed and measured all the time, because we never know how much to use...
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