Throwing Apples

I recently made friends with the deer. It began with an apple.

I was in my kitchen eating an apple when the deer came to visit. I thought maybe the deer would like an apple too. So I cut my Fuji in half and went out to feed the deer. The deer watched cautiously as I threw the apple into the yard. After a moment, a young buck took a chance. Approaching slowly, he sniffed the fruit, grabbed it with his teeth and began to chew. I watched with concern as the yearling started choking on the large chunk of Fuji I had just thrown his way. I was relieved when he spit out a good portion and proceeded to chew up and swallow the remaining piece in his mouth.

The other deer became curious.

I went back inside for another apple. This time I cut the Fuji into small pieces and brought it out on a platter. I tossed the juicy bits into the yard and watched as the deer graciously ate each bite. This was the beginning of the apples and the deer.

The deer began to visit on a regular basis, often coming within a few feet of me as I fed them the apples. If I happened to be busy when the deer arrived, they simply walked around the house until they saw me through a window. Then they would watch and wait until I brought them some apples.

One day a young friend was visiting. We were about to eat lunch when the deer emerged from the woods. My friend became full of excitement when I told her the deer like to eat apples. She jumped up anxiously and raced out to her car returning with an apple core. “Do you think they would eat this?” she asked.

“I’m sure they would,” I replied. “Just throw it to them.”

With apple core in hand, and a spirit full of enthusiasm, my friend went out to feed the deer. I watched with amazement as my friend threw the apple with such force you would think she was pitching the World Series. The deer, frightened by the fruit whizzing past their heads, quickly retreated to the safety of the woods. My friend’s enthusiasm was replaced by crushing disappointment as she moped back to the house.

This incident caused me to reflect on how differently as individuals we can perceive the same thought. We often take for granted that a word spoken or an action described will be interpreted the same way we view it in our own mind. I deliberated on how this process of sharing thoughts is similar to throwing apples.

When I thought of throwing an apple, I thought of tossing it close to the deer so they could easily see, smell, and eat the fruit. When my friend thought of throwing an apple, her goal was to get the fruit to the deer as quickly as possible without considering how it was delivered. Although our methods were different, we were both feeding the deer.

When we share our thoughts with one another it is not unlike sharing apples with deer. How we present our thoughts will greatly impact how they are received. I decided to call this process “throwing apples”.

As we go through life we encounter many types of people with many different beliefs, traditions, styles and ideas. I will call these characteristics “apples”.

When people share their apples with us they are sharing a part of their lives and often their souls. These are the fruits of the spirit. People share their apples when seeking friendship, trust, or acceptance.

When a person lays their apples on the table they are putting themselves in a vulnerable position. This is when the fruit can be rejected.

If our apples are fresh and sweet they are more likely to be accepted than if they are spoiled and rotten. Likewise, if fruit is flying at us like fastballs, we are inclined to dodge and withdraw as quickly as possible.

The best we can do is prepare and present our fruit in a way that is inviting.

My conclusion is, whether red, green, sweet, sour, juicy, fried or forbidden, before we go throwing apples, we should make sure they are unlikely to be viewed as a threat, but rather a gift.