Day 6 *Life Is Like Zucchini*

The zucchini I steamed for dinner was a bitter disappointment. Literally. Then I started thinking more about it and after some time, I came to the conclusion that life is very much like zucchini.

It's all pretty, squeaky clean, and shiny on the outside. You want it and you think it will be wonderful because it looks wonderful. You know it's good for you and can't hurt you, unless you try to swallow one whole.

Then you carefully wash it and chop it. What is revealed inside is suprisingly slimy and seedy, but not necessarily in a bad way. Just not what you expected, given the lustrous beauty of the outside skin. Although life is generally good, it's not usually as good as it appears on the outside. It's also often seedy and sometimes even slimyy. As we view other people's lives, they appear to be blemish free and vibrant because we rarely get to see their seedy, slimy side.

I seasoned the cooked zucchini, and after much anticipation, took the first bite. The skin was bitter! I've always liked zucchini and don't remember it ever being bitter. The pretty side was bitter and the seedy side was, well, seedy but not half bad. And at least the slime was gone. It was an unexpected disappointment, as are many things in life that we think could only be beneficial. And yet, remarkably, the bitter outside and the seedy inside are still really very good for us. Life's bitter disappointments, seedy pasts, and slimy transgressions become interwoven with all the beautiful, shiny, and smooth to form the fabric of who we are and who we will become. And in that way, I believe that life is remarkably like zucchini.

Now stick that blateration in a hole, add a seedling and water, and you can grow a garden full of zucchini that you won't be able to contain or give away. But at least you won't be very upset if it turns out bitter.