Well you may think this is a silly question. Now-a-days, whenever anyone needs information they go to “google it!” I had just bought a bunch of bananas and thought how fortunate we were to be able to go to the grocery store and get some. Things are easily available to us and we take so much for granted. I am sure that in the olden days when people lived a distance from one another on farms, bananas were not that available. They were something special. Does that mean that when things are scarce that they hold value? 
I think of the fad products like the Cabbage Patch Dolls that became so popular in 1983. I remember trying to locate one for our daughter. She ended up with a Pumpkin Patch Doll as a substitute, because I couldn’t find one. It was just as adorable and she came to love it. Eventually, she would get a Cabbage Patch Doll as they staying popular and were all over in the years that followed.
Well today, I am referring to the yellow fruit that is grown in over 150 countries. It is used as a breakfast fruit and/or snack. Like all foods they have value when eaten in moderation. And it’s a fruit that can we carried easily and eaten on the run!
- They are loaded in Potassium which our bodies need.
- They may lower blood pressure.
- or, Reduce the risk of heart attacks & strokes! That’s certainly good!
But the downside is :
- They might raise ones’ blood sugar due to the carbs they contain.
- or, We may just tend to over indulge, because they are so tasty and easy to grab!
I remember the fun I had in Malaysia walking through a grove of banana trees,– I was told they had 144 varieties. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I literally picked one to eat. Since then, I read that there are over 1000 varieties of bananas. When one is able to travel, the things that may be available in one part of the world may seem so natural. That is the value of being able to learn about other regions. It reminds us to be appreciative for the things that are available to us. Our climates and vegetation varies from place to place.
When our kids were young, a neighbor of ours who came from Manila taught me how to coat slices that were cut on the diagonal in a rice flour, then to fry them in cooking oil. Everyone in our family loved this snack.
So today I leave you with a thought of recognizing and appreciating the things we take for granted. Let’s take delight in the small, but highly significant foods and resources that are all around us. Let the minor gifts of convenience be a mini miracle in your life. With all the major conflicts, the sadnesses in the world, and the many mistakes we all make, life can still be uplifting and healing!
Peace for your day!