Carry A Banana

On the bus to work today, I saw a guy get on, holding a banana.  That’s it, just a banana.  He had ear buds in, listening to music off his phone (which was tucked in his pocket), but all he was carrying was a simple piece of fruit.

What struck me was the apparent “lightness of being” he had.  He wasn’t weighed down by any type of bag – lunch, work or gym – so he was free to move about his morning commute with ease.  His needs were met – breakfast in hand, what more did he need to start his day? 

Many of us, unnecessarily carry a ton of personal objects around.  Ask any woman to dump out her purse, and chances are she doesn’t even know half the contents she is carrying.  And with the explosion of portable electronics, between our phones, iPods, tablets, laptops and video games, we are buried in our techie treasures.  Never mind our briefcases, backpacks and gym bags – which are filled to the brim with all the goodies we need to get through the hours.  Some of us even carry several bags at once – essentially turning ourselves into human pack mules. (Guilty as charged.)

It reminds me of the old program “Let’s Make a Deal.”  At the end of each show, as the credits rolled, Monty Hall would ask the costumed crowd if they had a particular, random or obscure, item on their person.  If they could produce such item, they would receive a cash prize.  It could be anything from a safety pin to a wrench.  And the crazy thing was, 9 times out of 10, the audience member had it.  Digging deep within their bounty, they would whip out a wrench, smiling and clapping.

So here’s my version of deal making – let’s all try to lighten our load – both spiritually and physically.  Let’s discard or remove that which we don’t need to carry around with us…let’s get rid of the thoughts and the objects that burden us, that take away our ease of movement, our peace of mind.  Let’s only bring through our day, that which enhances our experiences, and leave the rest at the bottom of the bag.  We don’t need it.

Carry a banana.  It’s healthy. – BB