The Right Time

We do most of our grocery shopping on the weekend.  My wife always tries to pick a small bunch of bananas so she can take one to work every day. 

I try to avoid eating any bananas during the week, because I know my wife will want to have a selection.

But by most Thursday nights, the bananas have darkened.  They have these ugly brown blotches on them.  Needless to say, my wife no longer finds them attractive enough to display on her desk as lunch approaches.

The remaining bananas are, needless to say, mine for the taking.

Long ago, I learned that the color of skin has little to do with the quality of what is inside. 

In the case of bananas, of course, the banana is delivered to the store all golden and fresh.  As the week progresses, with exposure to room temperature air and moisture, the bananas begin to change on the outside.  They develop “age spots” which grow with the length of exposure.

By the end of the week, they are certainly less beautiful than when we bought them.  But I like bananas for the taste.  At the point they become “Friday’s Bananas” the inside is still firm and tasty.  My gain. 

Several days later, the skin deteriorates to the point that I know they are all mushy inside, and even I won’t eat them. 

The point of this seemingly inane discussion is that our lives are filled with people and items that remain productive long after their expiration dates. 

Foodstuffs especially are dated early, both to avoid lawsuit and to sell more product.  There are some who religiously honor the date, and even improve on it.  I know a person who practically throws out the milk on the way home from the store. 

Many people are victims of automatic expiration fear.  Once they reach a certain age, they are set aside as no longer useful.  That may be true of an ageing body, but a person’s mind goes on long after their body loses shape. 

Don’t be afraid to eat Friday’s bananas.  Consider usefulness to you as an evaluation of expiration rather than a date someone else has put there.  Make your own decisions.