The Perfect Avocado

Often the avocados I find at the grocery store are either black and mushy (over-ripe) or very green and firm (unripe).  Sometimes they are black and firm (almost ripe).  Almost never are they perfectly ripe.  I think this is because perfection, especially of this delicate fruit, requires patience.

The perfect avocado is a fruit whose skin has turned black and gives slightly when you press on it.  Once it is open, the meat of the fruit is a glorious green (the only brown part is the pit) and the smell is ripe and lucious.  The meat of the fruit will slice easily with a knife and the pit will pop out if you give it a little squeeze (no knife required for removal).  While sometimes it is easy to get the perfect avocado, most of the time, you will have to practice patience.

Patience must be cultivated through practice.  Living in a world where there is so much immediate gratification, it is easy to forget about patience.  Patience is more than just waiting or even anticipation.  It is cultivating exactly whatever it is you want to create.  Patience is a guiding force for what is possible.  Being patient now means that more is possible later.  In the case of creating a perfect avocado, you will want to select one from the produce section that is slightly green and preferrable still has the stem (a little knob on the top) attached.  An unripe avocado should never be refrigerated, otherwise it will just go bad.  You can facilitate the process of creating a perfectly ripe avocado by putting it in a paper bag or by placing it next to ripening bananas.  A very green avocado might take up to five days to ripen.  An avocado that is black with a little bit of green will take one to three days.  Once the fruit is ripe, put it in the refrigerator and eat within a few days.  Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

So, although you may be able to purchase the perfect avocado (or if you are lucky enough, pluck one from a tree), most of the time you will have to create it.  Creating the perfect avocado requires more than time.  It requires patience of mind, body, and spirit.  As you are cultivating the ripening of your perfect avocado, you are also cultivating patience of mind, body, and spirit. 

When we are patient, it is possible to create glorious things.  We may find that our relationships improve - with other people and with ourselves.  As we are patient with others, we can deepen our listening and understanding of them - their perspective and who they are.  As we are patient with ourselves, we can deepen our awareness of who we are and what we want.  As we are patient with an avocado, we can create the perfect fruit, perfect for eating and nourishing every aspect of ourselves.