A Summer Peach

March 3, 2009 at 9:19pm

A peach in the summer is so sweet and juicy it dribbles down your cheeks at first bite. It’s the 1st day of the month of March and he goes to buy his favorite yellow peaches at the local farmer’s market. As he bites into it, crunch, he thinks, “hmm…tastes like an apple.”

The experience of sex can be compared to eating a peach. Having meaningful sex with someone you truly love and care about (hopefully it’s your married spouse) = waiting for your summer peach.

As he sips his Yerba maté, he thinks hard about what it means for a peach to be good. Then he remembers a Taoist notion that says everything is good if you appreciate things for what they are, if you approach things without preconceptions. He used to think that peaches in the winter time are just as good, as long as you don't expect them to taste like summer peaches, which is interesting because his idea of awesome pears to most people in the West are overripe and his parents like sour mangoes, which to him are under ripe. He knows how he likes his pears and apples—sweet and soft, almost mushy. He enjoys apple crisp but not crisp apples or pears.

So he thinks again to himself, what if we reversed the analogy? Casual, meaningless sex is also wonderful as long you don't expect a deep meaningful relationship to come out of it. So it really depends on how you like your sex. If you want a romantic, meaningful one then wait for someone who means something to you and wait for the relationship to develop to that point because if you do it casually, then obviously it’s not living up to your expectations. On the other hand, if you are just looking for fun, without strings, without fuss, then obviously marriage is not the answer. Neither is morally wrong, as long as you are prepared for the consequences and don’t expect others to clean up your mess.

Everything is good if you appreciate things for what they are. How would you apply this to human beings? In relationships, it’s a team effort; both people need to adapt to each other. So it’s not just that you have to appreciate him, he has to appreciate you. There will be differences and both sides have to figure out what's important for them and find middle ground.

--Inspired by a true story through a random yet meaningful conversation with an old friend. Credit goes to Ouh A Nimble Wile Sum.


“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well” --Voltaire