Every time you take a bite out of life, you get closer to your Core.
Why is life like an apple? The apple is ubiquitous. It has been found on every continent and is known in every country. Its botanic origins are precisely unknown.
However, from the Jordan River to the Tien Shan Valley of western China, from the Tigris and Euphrates to the Nile of Egypt, from Chile and Argentina to New England, apple trees have flourished. The Greeks, Romans, Russians, and Latin Americans have written poetry about them. The current word apple comes from the Old English "appel" which means "fruit." Interesting to note that in the story of Adam and Eve, the fruit referred to has usually been depicted as an apple. Sir Isaac Newton, himself, was inspired by the apple. Snow White was offered a poisonous apple. The apple in its many forms has existed for thousands of years. At this time, approximately 2,000 varieties of apples have been identified.
Likewise, your team is like an orchard of various types of apples, with their own tastes, shapes, looks, and growth potential.
As we look at this universal fruit, we encounter similarities to our own existence and our journey through life. Apple trees follow watercourses and grow close to water sources. We all love to be near the water too. How many of us retreat and recreate at oceans, lakes, and rivers. The most expensive properties are often near the water, and when water isn’t near, we build swimming pools and bring the water to us. The human body is composed mostly of water. We are baptized in water, we bless ourselves with it, and, like the apple, we not only want to live near it, we can’t live without it.
Your team works in proximity, even remotely, closely. They share a common goal: to get to the core of the project, nurture and water it until it bears the fruit of their labor.
The apple has a skin –- so to get to the fruit inside, we have to penetrate or peel the outer layer. We have a skin, and as we learn about ourselves, we identify how "thick-skinned" or "thin-skinned" we are, don’t we? And as we peel away our own layers, we gain greater awareness of ourselves. From the outside, the skin may be shiny, durable, and smooth, but we don’t know what we will find inside. The apple may be appealing on the outside and “rotten to the core” within. Or, it might not look very pleasing on the outside, yet be filled with sweetness within. Appearances may betray what is inside.
Isn’t life the same way? We expect life to go smoothly, to be in balance. Then we find that the road is rough and lopsided. We look at individuals on or teams and view how "attractive" they are on the "outside," yet find them "unattractive" on the "inside," or vice versa. How appropriate the popular adage, "You can’t judge a book by its cover." Likewise, you can’t tell the fruit of the apple by looking at it, and you can’t predict life other than to know that you don’t know what you will find along the way.
Every team, working together brings to the group their individual characteristics – their "apple-osophy" and values. The orchard is full of apple blossoms ready to bloom. Appreciate your teams and their distinctions. Give them the chance to share the fruit of their thoughts. Your orchard will bear great fruit.
