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[Note from the Proprietor: I was eating a snack the other day and it suddenly occurred to me (sound of dull thud hitting back of head) - I was eating a great story! Since we're still in WILF mode this week, it seems like this would make a perfect - and not to mention delicious - contribution. Be sure and drop by  next Monday for all this month's entries!]

You know, this may come as a surprise to some of you (but if you’ve hung around the Zone for any length of time, well then, probably not), but Life, I’ve come to believe, is an orange. To be more specific, Life is a Clementine.

You know those sweet, juicy, teeny tiny oranges (sometimes affectionately called “cuties”) that appear in the grocery stores every year about late spring? Yep, those little guys. I love those things! Though generally small, they pack a powerful taste - such that even thinking about them makes the ol’ saliva glands do a dance inside my mouth. (In fact, I’m droolin’ just writin’ this story!)

Especially good are the really thin-skinned ones; for some reason those seem to be the ones with the best flavor and most juice.

So why would Life be a Clementine, you ask? Man, am I glad you asked! Here’s 9 things…

• Peeling away the skin reminds me of how Life is something you have to work at to truly enjoy. I mean, let’s face it; most times, just lettin’ life pass you by is no fun. No, you have to actually go out and do something, you know? Scratch the surface. Peel away the layers. Drill down deep. OK; enough metaphors; I think you get my meanin’.
• On a related note, are you the kind of person that tries to make the peel come off in one long string? Or do you pick away at it until you finally get all the skin off? I know, it depends on the toughness of the rind, right? Well, Life is like that too. Sometimes you see the underlying meaning quite easily, but sometimes you really gotta work at it to figure it out. And then there’s the times when you simply can’t figure it out. That’s OK; we’ve all been there. Just file it for future reference and move on.
• Notice the fruit inside is divided into segments. Ever notice how Life isn’t continuously the same thing all the time? (OK, work with me on this one.) Our lives typically consist of segments where there are similarities, then you move on to something new. Take careers, for instance. How many of you are doing exactly the same thing you’ve always done? If you’re like most folks, over time you’ll have moved from one thing to at least three or four, or even 12 or 15 others. Relationships are the same way.
• There were a few weeks a while back when literally every Clementine I ate was made up of exactly 10 segments. That was weird. I began to wonder if that was a characteristic of Clementines. But then I found some with 9 segments, some with 11, some with 10 or 12, but with one of those little “baby” segments stuck in between two others… In other words, it’s generally within a narrow range, but rarely exactly the same. Even though your life’s segments are distinctly separate from each other, they’re still enough similarities to keep things from getting out of control. Usually. Unless you go from ordinary guy Peter Parker, to waking up and finding out you’re, you know, Spiderman. Then you’re on your own.
• When you pull off the peel, you have to get rid of the icky white stuff that sometimes holds the individual segments together. Sometimes there might even be some stuck to the outside of the segment, too. If you’ve ever eaten any, you’ll know it’s pretty bitter and not at all enjoyable. Well, who could argue that Life doesn’t have its bitter side, at least on occasion? Yup; you’ve pretty much got to take the bad with the good, you know? But you don’t have to swallow it, you know. Learn from it, then cast it aside! Your life will be all that much sweeter for the experience. Trust me.
• You’ll know for sure when you bite into a Clementine; it’s got a taste that’ll pop your eyes open! Whoo-ee, those things can really pack an amazing punch in such a small package! Life can be like that, too, if you’ll open your eyes wide and really pay attention to what goes on around you. The problem is most of the time we usually filter nearly all of our environment out. But do something for me: Take a moment and stop, right where you are (please, not if you’re driving - but then again, you probably wouldn’t be reading this and driving at the same time, right?), and really take notice of literally everything around you. Take your time. You might be surprised at the wonders that have been right there under your nose all along.
• Clementines, like many fruits, are round. Life is full of rounds, too, only we call them cycles. What goes around, comes around. That’s what makes the world go ‘round. We approach unpleasant things in a roundabout way. She’ll be comin’ ‘round the mountain when she comes. See what I mean? Even in our speech, we recognize that cycles are a part of everyday life. Learn from them, but don’t fight ‘em; they’re here to help.
• One thing about Clementines (and most oranges for that matter); they can take it and keep on delivering! Unlike apples, bananas, peaches or other sensitive fruit, you can bump ‘em like crazy, but within limits, it won’t change the taste, juiciness, or even their shape. They just keep on bein’, you know, delicious! Life is full of bumps and bruises, too, but in truth, it’s the school of hard knocks we learn from the most, isn’t it? So don’t worry if you’ve been knocked about a bit; make the decision to get up and keep goin’! You’ll be the stronger for it, believe me.
• On the other hand, if you ignore Clementines for awhile, they’ll wither away and rot. And believe me, there’s nothing sadder than a life not lived, if you know what I mean. So don’t let your life pass you by; my friends, learn about Life from a Clementine!

I bet you might be able to think of a few more reasons why Life is a Clementine. Go ahead, don’t be afraid to share your insights in the comment box!

Now, what did I do with that nectarine…?

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Today’s post is yet another contribution to this month’s What I Learned From… groupwrite project. The topic this month is Metaphors for Life, and if you’ve got one you’d like to share with us, then by all means pop on over to the kickoff post and read all about it; we’d love to have you join us! You have plenty of time to get me your link - until Sunday night, in fact. I’ll leave the light on.

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Photo: My Darlin’ Clementine, by Robert Hruzek.

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