My last teacher was an avocado

My most recent “teacher” was an avocado. 

It was one of many gently palpated by a customer at our local market. Hunched over the wooden crate, he whispered to each avocado "are you ready?” This shopper was in no rush. One by one, cradled in his palm, he inquired “will you be ready by Thursday?” Some were added to his basket, some were not. Like many of the avocados in the produce section that day, you too, may not be ready. Not ready to wake up, to make a change, or to take the next step. 

When I am on the brink of making a challenging decision, for example, I feel myself pull away. Instead of feeling open to the possibilities that can come with change, I freeze. Sometimes, I avoid the whole situation altogether and invent reasons why I am too busy to sit with discomfort. 

There’s a Buddhist concept that speaks to this kind of push and pull. The idea that our neurosis (my resistance to change) and our wisdom (my inborn knowing that change is inevitable) are entwined. Two ends of the same rope. When I consider my tension through the lens of this concept, I am reminded of the space that exists alongside contraction. That when we reject our confusion, we are also rejecting our insight. We forget that our emotions, like avocados, can ripen and transform. We can feel them as they are while knowing they will change. 

When we acknowledge our resistance, when we accept we are not yet ready, we leave room for compassion- a willingness to understand. A mindset that leads to a curiosity about the situation and a willingness to investigate our difficulties. When we gently touch a seemingly unworkable situation in this way, the whole situation softens. Transformation is possible. 

An avocado may even ripen in time for a salad on Thursday.