Peach Dreams....

...The Importance of Being There

I like to think of myself as a storyteller, and that my stories have a message. Sometimes I learn that the story’s message is bigger than I thought…

A couple of days ago I went to the store and bought some peaches. They’ve been ripening on the counter a few feet from my computer…everything in our temporary residence is a few feet from my computer…<G>. Yesterday and today, I have been gifted with the aroma of the ripened peaches. The fruits’ smell brings the promise of a wonderful yet fleeting experience, a mouth watering pleasure that will recall personal history through taste.

I go to the kitchen and look at the peaches, examining each before I select one. It seems odd, but the aroma is less strong up close; I rely on how the fruit looks and feels more than its smell to help me make a choice. I peel and cut a peach, and try not to rush the experience of eating it. Often, I do rush; thankfully, the taste lingers. There is a tartness which remains when the fruit is gone. That tartness gives rise to a second “aroma” conjured from within, as sensory response triggers memory.

I remember my childhood in California, seeing row upon row of peaches floating preserved in mason jars in my grandmother’s cellar. I remember roadside fruit stands in California and Georgia, and the heavy warmth of sunny summers past rushes by like the wind through an open car window …so common in those days before air conditioning. For just a moment, I remember being eight years old on a dusty July evening, holding a bowl of peaches and ice cream, on lookout for the first star. Then, the tartness fades.

As the peach moves from meal to memory, I wonder: what really refreshed my ability to recall the old cars, dim stars, and the laughter of long ago? Anticipation? Imagination? Sensation? Experience? I really don’t know. But, there is miracle in it…past, present and future bound together in the harmony of the intangible.

I emailed my peachy prose to a friend, who saved it on her computer. She must have found a worthwhile message in it. Hi tech affirmation for my rambling thoughts!

What do you think is this story’s message? Is it immutable? Is there more than one lesson within its 300 words? Here’s what I think. The story is a reminder of the resources we all possess and the importance of the people who teach us to discover them. Each of us houses a library of experiences and memories. These experiences and memories can be harnessed to trigger reflection, promote learning, and expand wisdom...all positive changes. Artists, creators and teachers are agents of change. When we use imagery in words, objects and thoughts, we transform and amplify the experiences of our audience, be they students or sightseers. Teaching and interacting with students and viewers, we draw upon their past experiences and guide them to weave future opportunities. We nurture growth in the present, and prepare for growth at a time and place when we, like the scent of a peach, are memory. And that is important, transformative work.

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