Growing up as a kid I was always slightly aghast when my mom would eat the whole apple – core and all!  She seemed to relish in the act.  Proud that she didn’t discard any of the precious fruit – happily chewing away.  All I could imagine was biting down on a seed or all the hard crunchy stuff in the middle.  I declared my disapproval “Blech!”

Recently at the age of 50 I was eating an apple delicately nibbling around the core when I thought “What if I just ate it?”

So I did.

There was nothing ghastly about it.  In fact I too was delighted that I didn’t discard any of the precious apple.  And I began to wonder . . .

How often do we avoid that which we expect will be unpleasant?

Probably about 100 times a day.

Avoiding a difficult conversation.

Eating a few cookies instead of feeling our frustration.

Saying “uh huh” instead of telling someone our honest thoughts.

Checking our cell phones every few seconds instead of being alone with our thoughts.

Leaving taxes until the last minute as it will be an impossible and unpleasant task.

Avoiding a work out so we don’t fail at the ambitious goals we set for ourselves.

The list goes on.

How about you?  What are you avoiding that you think may be unpleasant?

What happens if we simply make room for the unpleasant?

Try it.  Eat the apple; core and all, and tell us what you noticed.