The surprise treasures

Have you ever tried a dried banana?

The shrivelled, sticky, chewy, brown, homemade ones.

Not to be mistaken for the crisp, bright yellow, ‘chip’ ones that are slipped into museli mixes.

They’re the ones that aren’t easy on the eye.

But they’re surprisingly sweet, flavour-packed treat.

They’re pure goodness.

All natural. No additives or flavours needed.

When I made them recently, my kids gasped in horror when they saw them. They flat out refused to try them.

In my view, that was a ‘Big mistake. BIG. Huge!’, to quote Vivian in Pretty Woman when she revisits the Beverly Hills saleswomen who refused to serve her.

Their superficial judgements about the ‘disgusting’ appearance, past experience with old bananas being brown and squishy, and general dislike of most dried fruit, was tainting the chance to discover a new tasty, healthy snack.

But this is just one example of something we all do.

We’re judgemental, protective of our views, opinions and preferences, and act largely on auto-pilot.

We forget to go into every situation with an open mind, an open heart, and an awareness of our judgement.

We generally don’t make free, active choices.

So we end up missing out on opportunities, overlooking hidden potential, and forgoing experiences.

The dried banana is a small example. But it’s a real example.

What if we looked at every moment, every thing, every person as if, within them, there’s treasure to be found?

What would open up?

What could you discover when you take a moment to pause, be patient and look closely beyond your first impression?

x Penny

ps. This Thursday you can come and discover hidden treasure a Conscious Christmas swap event I’m hosting to raise money for Share the Dignity (invite below).

Bring any good quality items you want to give to a new home, and take home any items that take your fancy for a gold coin donation. It’ll be a fun night to recycle, connect new souls, reconnect with sisters, and support a cause that gives women access to sanitary products. RSVP for address details.

pps. If you want to try to make your own dried bananas, it’s super easy. It’s the perfect way to use up the spotty, soft bananas that have sat too long in the fruit bowl and are passed over for the ones with unblemished skins.

Peel them, put them on a cake rack, and leave them for a couple of weeks on a pest-free, shelf in a warm room or cupboard.

Delish!