Photo courtesy of Indenture Get Past The Pineapple: 10 Life Lessons From Your Fruit Bowl
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Nick Cernis of Put Things Off.
On 11 December 2007 author Terry Pratchett announced online and with glorious good humour that he’d been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease.The news still shocks me, partly because it’s the first time I’ve heard the phrase “eat the arse out of a dead mole” in a press release, but mainly because it’s always a crying shame when terrible things happen to brilliant people.I wanted to help. In an interview with The Times two days later, Pratchett cheerfully told me that I simply wasn’t qualified: “I know it’s a very human thing to say, “Is there anything I can do?” but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.”
I flunked chemistry and biology with crying colours, so I turned to a more traditional way of exploring the problem; I picked up a good book. The hardback I chose was “Going Postal” by the great man himself. On page 17 Pratchett gives a wonderful life lesson that I’d like to share with you today.
Getting past the pineapple
Going Postal tells the story of a skilled con artist forced to turn his life around to change the world for the better. In the opening scene, our troubled trickster ponders the meaning of life while seconds away from death at the gallows:
“What you had to do in this life was get past the pineapple, Moist told himself. It was big and sharp and knobbly, but there might be peaches underneath.”
What a wonderful little nugget of philosophy—a lesson in living from a fruit bowl! Only Pratchett could take a pineapple, add the word “knobbly”, and create a neatly-formed metaphor for overcoming hardship. Here’s what it teaches us:
10 lessons in life from your fruit bowl
1. The juicy fruit is often underneath
There will be times when life gets sharp and knobbly. Your challenge is to keep on smiling and look for the tasty treats underneath. It’s a question of balance: without hardship, the good times wouldn’t exist. Never give up—getting past the pineapple is what it’s all about.
2. Wear lightweight armour
Ever bitten into a whole pineapple? Didn’t think so. They’re tough old beasts at the worst of times, and so should you be. You want a solid outer shell to repel anyone trying to attack you, but you don’t need to harden up as far as the pineapple and dissuade people from talking to you altogether. Those in a full suit of wet copper armour don’t tend to be very approachable. (As Pratchett jokes—especially not in a thunder storm.)
3. Be patient
The moment a pineapple is picked, the fruit stops ripening. It’s a simple idea and a powerful one. Many people seem in a rush to ‘become’ something. Whether it’s a famous musician, a great designer or a problogger, don’t hurry to ripen. Your heroes became famous through hard work and good fortune and you’ll have to do the same. There’s no magic ticket — just take your time and enjoy the ride. Fame should be an added bonus; never a goal.
4. Aim for the sun
Few fruits grow in heavy shade. Fewer still revel in the darkness. This creates a lovely two-step metaphor for living: first, you have to leave the darkness of anonymity and actually put yourself out there, both online and off. Second, you have to do something unique if you want to really be noticed — the tallest fruit trees rarely grow in the shade of others.
5. Respect your parents
Most fruit ripens to the point where it’s mature — then it drops and is no longer dependent on the tree. If you’re a parent, you’ll be laughing heartily at this metaphor! People aren’t like fruit, of course — we can call on our parents for life. (I chose simply never to mature!) Treasure the connection with your folks and try to really get to know them through your adult life. They probably have more to offer than you think.
6. Don’t be a banana
The banana exudes ethylene, a gas that accelerates the ripening process in other fruit. It’s punishment? Many people separate it from their apples and pears altogether. The life lesson is simple: don’t be a banana. The underlying messages are these: firstly, let others develop at their own pace. Secondly, if you don’t want to live in isolation, play nicely.
7. Find beauty in simplicity
The Carambola or “Star Fruit”; is a beautiful little treasure. Its cross section is a simple 5-pointed star. Nature creates beauty in simplicity, and there’s a lot we can take from this and apply in our lives. Before you add complex systems and pick up new devices, first strip your life back to the basics. There is a world of magnificence hidden in simplicity.
8. Look after your assets
The wise farmer plants the tree and reaps the fruit for years to come. She doesn’t chop it down to sell the firewood. Look after your assets: your money, friends, family and health. You’ll gain more benefit in the long term by hanging onto them than you will by giving them up early on.
9. Pass it on
All apple varieties share a similar trait: they can’t pollinate themselves or any flowers of the same apple variety. The best fruit comes from pollinating with completely different varieties. Before your one track mind reads too much into this, the actual message is innocent: share your knowledge. Pass on your thoughts and ideas to everyone whether they’re part of your circle or not.
10. Never judge a tomato
You wouldn’t find one in a fruit bowl but, speaking scientifically, that’s exactly what a tomato is: a fruit. It’s important not to judge a tomato purely on its ability to work well with pasta. Lessons from the tomato: don’t label things unnecessarily, and don’t judge too early on.
What all this means for you
Apart from looking at your fruit bowl more suspiciously from now on (who ever knew fruit was so cunning?) I sincerely hope that, if you only take one thing away from this article, it is this:
When life bowls you a pineapple, dodge it and keep running.
As Terry Pratchett puts it: “Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there’s time for at least a few more books yet.” I look forward to seeing what fruits the new ones bring!
Nick Cernis writes at Put Things Off, the laid-back productivity blog.
—
Leo’s Book-Writing Update: I wrote for a little over an hour and finished another chapter (I had started it yesterday). I am taking a break to do a couple errands, but I’m gonna go back and write for another hour or so pretty soon. Making great progress! Thanks for the encouragement, everybody. - Leo
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)
- Posted on 26 March 2008 in Goals, Motivation |
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Comments (49)
Laurie Says:
March 26th, 2008, 23:17 pm
I have learned so much in the last couple of years of hard times. The latest has been with my job. The juicy fruit of that is now I have learned so much and I am starting my own business. I have found that I am usually a better person for having persevered through the tough times. Great post Leo!
Naomi Dunford - IttyBiz.com Says:
March 26th, 2008, 23:21 pm
“Don’t be a banana.”
I love it! Perhaps the new tagline for PTO? Worth considering, anyway.
Great job, Nick.
Corey - Simple Marriage Project Says:
March 26th, 2008, 23:27 pm
Great post. I love the idea of when life gives you pineapple, dodge it and keep running. There is more life to live. Live well!
Margot Says:
March 26th, 2008, 23:53 pm
Great post. I’ve always enjoyed the posts here at Zen Habits, both resident and guest, but this one really stands out to me. Thanks a lot!
Jeff - ScienceSays.net Says:
March 27th, 2008, 0:14 am
This is a really clever metaphor for your heartfelt advice - thanks
Vered Says:
March 27th, 2008, 0:20 am
@Laurie: Wow. Good luck with the business. This is a great example of finding the juicy fruit underneath.
I think for me, the biggest challenge is patience. Could it be that I lack the patience gene? I hope not. I do admire it in others and I also think it’s very difficult to find happiness if you are impatient. I will keep working on it. Love the pineapple metaphor. :)
The Daily Mind Says:
March 27th, 2008, 0:45 am
What a strange topic to base a post on!!!
I loved it.
There is some similar fruit related saying that I can’t quite remember. It goes something like:
“When life throws you bananas make fruit salad”.
Something like that.
Nice guest post.
The Daily Minder
banji - LessonInLife.com Says:
March 27th, 2008, 0:54 am
Great job Nick.. I’ve always like the metaphor of things. It makes working on self development very fun to do. I actually didn’t know that banana accelerate other’s ripening. Need to separate them now.
If I may, I would like to share one metaphor I wrote on what lesson in life learnt from Pacman (The Game).
“Life give you lemon, you make lemonade” :)
Marelisa Says:
March 27th, 2008, 1:32 am
To extend the metaphor, once you remove the sharp and knobbly part of the pineapple, the fruit inside is actually very good. Many times things that appear to look like hardship are actually blessings in disguise; every problem can present an opportunity.
I really liked the fruit metaphor!
Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:
March 27th, 2008, 1:35 am
Great article! I love the idea of aiming for the sun. It’s like Dale Carnegie says: “Life’s to short to be little!”
Annie Says:
March 27th, 2008, 2:01 am
I love this post! All the fruit metaphors…I’ll be chewing on those for while! :P
Nick Cernis Says:
March 27th, 2008, 3:08 am
Thanks for the lovely words everyone! It’s great to get such a juicy welcome. :)
orange Says:
March 27th, 2008, 3:12 am
Apples give off much more ethylene than bananas, actually.
Joanna Young Says:
March 27th, 2008, 4:51 am
What a refreshing perspective Nick, thank you. I particularly liked the bit about respecting your parents - it’s taken me a long time to realise this but the older I get the more lessons I am learning from them and their forefathers.
Joanna
JS Says:
March 27th, 2008, 5:20 am
weird that my first post would be on a post that I didn’t like;
I suppose that’s not healthy.. anyways my impression was that this was metaphor for metaphor’s sake. but I’m glad to see that it has helped others. GREAT blog on the whole though, Leo. It has got me thinking back on things that ought to be thought of more often (being mindful, minimalist, and embracing it).
Cheers and good luck with the book.
amypalko Says:
March 27th, 2008, 5:59 am
What a great post! Gave me a chuckle and made me look at life anew. Great stuff.
Incidentally, if you haven’t visited Nick’s blog, you really should go and pay him a visit. Really excellent writing, and very interesting posts.
elizabeth Says:
March 27th, 2008, 6:25 am
…but bananas can help other fruit ripen sooner rather than later.
Mark - Creative Journey Cafe Says:
March 27th, 2008, 8:42 am
One lesson I learn from my fruit bowl is to live a still life.
;)
Phelander Says:
March 27th, 2008, 9:37 am
I want a t-shirt that says, Never Judge A Tomato. I would get some confused looks, but then I could explain.
Wendi Kelly Says:
March 27th, 2008, 9:43 am
I am sorry to hear about Terry Hatchett, I am right in the middle of reading “Going Postal” right now and it’s the first one of his books I have ever read.
I love the post Nick, I already read you at your own site, it is nice to see you guest post over here! The fruit metaphor is very clever, I especially like the star fruit and tomato!
Leo,
glad you are getting progress done, thinking good racing thoughts!
Beth Says:
March 27th, 2008, 10:00 am
This is much better, fresher, and more accurate than the former fruity life lesson: “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” Even as a child that one stumped me. You can’t just squeeze a lemon into a glass and have lemonade. You need to add sugar. So life would have to give you sugar as well. And even though life probably has given you sugar that you can use, it still kind of defeats the purpose of the metaphor, I think.
Anyway, great job with your book! I’m seriously looking forward to its release, so getting to hear a little everyday about your progress is really special. I like that it lets us into your life even more than before. It’s a weird sort of blog-eurism. Or something. Anyway, good job! Your drive is an inspiration, and I’m glad to be among those holding you accountable for your work.
SpaceAgeSage Says:
March 27th, 2008, 10:08 am
My husband and I care take my 79 year old mom who suffers with Alzheimer’s. We both have had to learned all these lessons along the way, so it I enjoyed reading a post that “passes (them) on,” with humor and clarity.
Margi Says:
March 27th, 2008, 10:13 am
When life hands you lemons, call me and I’ll come over with tequila and salt.
Or not.
This is a great post; thanks Nick!
And well done, Leo!
Tom Says:
March 27th, 2008, 10:26 am
I love any post that references one of my favourite authors! You could easily write a whole book on life lessons gleaned from the works of Terry Pratchett! Great post, it was a great start to my morning.
Flint Says:
March 27th, 2008, 10:27 am
What an awesome post! Great humor, great metaphors and excellent lessons. Thank you so much!
Leo, great job on the writing, keep it up!
Flint Says:
March 27th, 2008, 10:31 am
Sorry for the double post, but I just picked up on this in the comments:
“…but bananas can help other fruit ripen sooner rather than later.”
And had to counter with a common Afrikaans (South African) saying:
“Vroeg ryp, vroeg vrot”
Literally translated it means:
“Ripen quickly, rot quickly”
More often than not the quick advancement route results in in short lived benefits ;)
James | Double Danger Says:
March 27th, 2008, 10:35 am
Great guest post. Love the banana one!
“When life hands you lemons, make some kind of fruity drink.” - Conan O’Brien
Cori Says:
March 27th, 2008, 12:01 pm
I’m with Margot - this post really stands out. It’s funny how these bits of wisdom reach us (me) when we (I) most need them.
RC Says:
March 27th, 2008, 12:05 pm
For more insight on what your fruit may be thinking - I recommend “The Botany of Desire” by Michael Pollan.
Kimberly - Good Life on a Budget Says:
March 27th, 2008, 14:26 pm
I really enjoyed this post. Great metaphors…. I think it is important to aim for the sun, and I love the idea of not being a banana.
Tad Says:
March 27th, 2008, 14:42 pm
Leo,
My favorite is be patient. So many times, people are looking for the quick fix. If people would just slow down and enjoy where they are at, they could focus on where they are going. Life is all about the journey.
Louise Lewis Says:
March 27th, 2008, 14:52 pm
Loved it! I spent the past five years exploring the “juicy fruit” of myself and others for my book and totally agree that all the good stuff lives beneath the surface! Thank you for this post!
As my simple way of ‘passing it on’, I’m offering free copies (pdf) of my new book…(My story was written to be shared). Simply e-mail your request from http://www.noexpertsneeded.com
It’s my simple way of giving back…
Louise Lewis, Author
No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You!
http://www.noexpertsneeded.com
Always Follow Spirit!
ryan Says:
March 27th, 2008, 17:06 pm
I highly doubt that Pratchett actually told you “I know it’s a very human thing to say, “Is there anything I can do?” but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.” That is just a direct quote from a press release, don’t say things that aren’t true.
But the article was still pretty insightful
oakling Says:
March 27th, 2008, 17:11 pm
it’s always a crying shame when terrible things happen to brilliant people
I’m sure you didn’t mean this but - as opposed to when terrible happens to OTHER people? Or people you don’t realize are brilliant?
I’d even posit that it might be better when terrible things happen to brilliant people, because they can teach us new brilliant ways of dealing with them….
oakling Says:
March 27th, 2008, 17:17 pm
In response to ryan:
I was like, “why would he say something that wasn’t true?!” So I clicked through the link on “an interview with me” and was puzzled and surprised to see that it leads to an article about the announcement - not an interview - with someone other than this guest poster (a staff reporter for the newspaper in question, in fact) - in which the reporter credits that quote to “a statement posted on the website of [Pratchett’s] illustrator Paul Kidby.”
What is going on here?! I don’t understand why anyone would make it sound like Pratchett had told them this stuff personally in the first place, steal it from a high-profile frequently-quoted press release in the second (which is also on Pratchett’s site), and then link to an article disproving their statement in the third. Particularly on a site about self-improvement, where I’d think that honesty would be fairly important. What happened?
blue sushi cat Says:
March 27th, 2008, 17:42 pm
great post! In response to ryan and oakling - I didn’t interpret that phrase in the same way you obviously did. He said he “wanted to help. In an interview with The Times two days later, Pratchett cheerfully told me that I simply wasn’t qualified” - it’s figurative - him and the rest of the world who read the interview.
Leo Says:
March 27th, 2008, 21:05 pm
@ryan and oakling: I can definitely see how it sounds like Nick is saying that Pratchett told him that personally, but I think it’s clear from the next sentence that Pratchett actually said it in a newspaper. Nick was making Pratchett’s announcement seem like a personal message, which I think is an interesting literary device, but wasn’t intended to be deceptive.
Nick Cernis Says:
March 28th, 2008, 3:33 am
@ryan and oakling: Thanks for picking up on this, but I honestly never intended it to be interpreted that way. Leo and blue sushi cat are right — it was entirely figurative. I’m truly sorry if I caused any confusion.
@Flint: As someone who’s visited and fallen in love with South Africa (but who only knows how to say “pancake” in Afrikaans), I enjoyed the trivia! Thanks for sharing.
prajna Says:
March 28th, 2008, 11:09 am
“but mainly because it’s always a crying shame when terrible things happen to brilliant people.”
And who cares when terrible things happen to those of us (the great majority) who aren’t brilliant? I think you might want to choose your words more carefully.
prajna Says:
March 28th, 2008, 11:11 am
“but mainly because it’s always a crying shame when terrible things happen to brilliant people.”
sorry, I guess someone already addressed this point, I thought I had read all the posts, but I missed that one…
labdaddy Says:
March 29th, 2008, 1:25 am
I loved the simple concept to conect to life. To ofen we overlook the obvious in life. We tend to over complicate. The trick is to be able to observe wih open eyes.
Meg Says:
March 30th, 2008, 9:56 am
What an awesome post. Having just read Going Postal it particularly appealed to me. I’ll definately be eyeing the fruit bowl with a bit more caution from now on!!
Prix Dekanun Says:
March 30th, 2008, 14:10 pm
Great post. But I confess that I really started to laught when I saw “Don’t be a banana”. In portuguese, “Be a Banana” or “Ser um banana” is “Be a passive, soft, stupid”… so, when I saw don’t be a banana I just thought “Ok, I’ll try, but it’s so difficult”, LOL.
Ayomide Says:
March 30th, 2008, 14:28 pm
“Your heroes became famous through hard work and good fortune and you’ll have to do the same.” I love that line- so profound. And all the fruit metaphors were really clever. They also made me really hungry tho :D
Star Straf Says:
March 30th, 2008, 18:16 pm
FYI - Terry Pratchett donated $1 million to Alzheimer’s Research and his fans are trying to match is donation
