Apples to apples.

I can vividly remember loving a Berenstain Bears book called Learn about Strangers when I was a kid. I don’t remember the actual plot. I just remember Mama teaching Sister about how things aren’t always what they seem by cutting into a misshapen, lumpy apple that was beautiful & juicy on the inside and then, a beautiful apple that was worm infested and brown in its center. Highly likely the reference stuck because it was about food. Very predictable, but regardless, it’s a good one.

A Facebook Friend (FF) and I kinda fit this example. I know FF from grade school. And though he’s all grown up now, he was a bit of a late bloomer back then, and honestly, so was I. Not until my senior (LAST) year did any boy look twice. That’s a long time of no looking twice.

Was it the braces, the glasses, the sprayed bangs, the tie-dye or the shy demeanor? I think she’s a doll, but I kinda see the uphill battle. And, this photo was taken in the summertime on my birthday, so I was spiffied up, small weird purse and all. If only you could have seen what those bushy eyebrows looked like with no sun on them, and a pimple or two. Bless her heart.

When FF and I initially reconnected, he actually apologized for writing me off in high school as one of the popular girls. Perception is a funny thing, isn’t it? Popular was as close to a synonym for me as petite. (I’m 5’11”.) I wonder what he would have thought had he seen me playing Mall Madness with my best friend Jill on a typical Friday night. Or when I turned myself in to my parents for sneaking out of the house, the ONE time I ever tried it. I laughed and explained my perspective to FF. Thankfully, I think we were both the bumpy apples with nice insides, which from my vantage point, creates a humble start for carving out an authentic adulthood. Not that you can’t get there as the homecoming queen, absolutely you can. But, it’s certainly not all bad to start with a bit of blue collar perspective. If I ever have a child who’s a bit of a nerd, I’m going to give my husband a high-five, while my child is safe in their room reading the Babysitters Club.

In case you ever have a lumpy apple, here’s a simple Honey Walnut Butter that can cover up all the awkward bumps.

Click HERE for the Honey Walnut Butter recipe…