Illuminating the world one Banana at a time
I walked to the convenience store for little reason, as I was quite sure they weren’t going to have any avocados, let alone organic ones to go with the taco meat and rice I had made for supper. I did however, despite my better judgement decide to pick up two Mexican ice cream bars for dessert. Along with a container of Dibb’s. Mostly for nostalgic purposes, but also to serve as a backup in the event that my Mexican delight was a bust. So, with my guilty pleasures in hand, and no avocados, I made my way to the register.
As I stood there waiting in line, my attention was called to a small rack that sat next to the register filled with vibrant yellow bananas and a sign below it that read: 2 for $1.00. I had been in Dallas for a while by this point and had been to this store plenty of times before. So, how in the world had I missed seeing that before is beyond me. Even more bewildering to me in that moment was why I felt so compelled to place two of them on the counter as I checked out. I mean I love bananas, but let’s just say it’s an unrequited love affair we have.
With my mind obviously all over the place, I took my bags and proceeded to walk out the door. I had made my way around the side of the convenience store and across the street before I noticed a homeless man curled up like a kitten, next to a building. Leaving his cart filled with his personal treasures, blankets and other unidentified miscellaneous items sitting right next to the sidewalk where I was walking. As I passed without even thinking, I reached inside my bag and pulled out a banana and placed it into the man’s cart. As I continued the short walk back to my friend Nancy’s apartment it became abundantly clear that this seemingly superficial excursion to the convenience store had been divinely orchestrated.
Three months before, I had spent two weeks in New York City with my dear friend Rosa. Rosa is beautiful 83-year-old woman who is originally from Honduras. I had gotten to know Rosa well over the last five years since her husband passing. And for the past few years, she had asked me to come to New York so that I could experience the city and spend time in her mediation room. So, I was excited to be able to finally say yes!
My time spent with Rosa was unforgettable and a blessing to me in ways that I could never have imagined. To see life through her eyes was an experience that I am still processing as my greater understanding for them continues to grow with me to this day. Some of the most profound lessons I learned from Rosa simply came from hearing of her experiences and observing how she moved through life. Which brings me back to the bananas.
Rosa loves bananas and would often and very proudly explain how Honduras had top quality fruit, but especially bananas. Which I think made it hard for her to understand my love/ hate relationship with them. She explained to me that bananas were very important to Honduras. She said not only for the farmers and the exporters but for their people. She went on to explain that a banana is one of the best foods that you can offer to a hungry person. She explained that the fiber from a banana was filling and would curb hunger pain and the sugar would provide energy as well as deliver other important vitamins and minerals. I knew bananas were a healthy snack option, but I had never considered it from that perspective before.
After loading my ice cream haul into the freezer, I placed the other banana into the fruit bowl, but couldn’t I shake the thought of Rosa, Honduras, or the homeless man. Which eventually brought me ponder the question. How much of an impact does one banana really have? And surprisingly, a great deal more than one might expect. Allow me to explain.
When you give away a banana it sets off a chain of benefits for all parties involved. The grower, the shipper, the maker of the container it is shipped in, the country it is grown in, the distributor, and the store it is sold from. But it doesn’t stop there. When you give freely to another with a positive selfless intention it not only raises your vibration, but it illuminates. Which illuminates not only the giver, but the receiver as well. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to most people, but if you consider the state of the receiver, it could be life altering in some cases.
That small act of kindness, that little yellow banana holds the potential to give another person a little glimpse of hope or a spark of joy. To a person whose light is very dim the impact of that little spark can be massive. Just witnessing an act of kindness is enough to create light. Aside from the energetic aspect of giving a banana, could that banana be the very source of nutrients that a person needed to order to make it through another day? It’s possible. And could that person’s tomorrow be the very day that everything changes for them? It’s possible.
Nancy and I began buying bananas when we went into that little convenience store and were amazed to see that there always seemed to be someone to give a banana to. It was a little thing that somehow now felt like a much bigger thing. Which is the very reason that I decided to share this story. Give a banana or don’t, but I would encourage everyone to give something. We ALL have something to offer another person. So, whether it be a banana or grace it all illuminates.