Pick your apples, and beliefs, wisely

I told my partner I was too tired to write my column today I was apprehensive it would show He suggested I inform you my readers about the state of my body and hope youll understand Im very accustomed to writing and sending my column on Thursday But since I have to be on the apple plantation by 8am tomorrow Ive been advised by him to issue my dispatch early so its out of the way Im deeply exhausted dear reader But Im running on an adrenaline highSo this column that Im writing to you at 9pm on Wednesday night will be a listing of everything I managed to accomplish today primarily because I have yielded to wisdom in the clicheacuted adage that delights in emphasising the healthy connection between early sleeping and early risingLast night I was asleep by 945pm I woke up at 7am I made myself scrambled eggs which I ate with toasted bread while my partner had his regular favourite cornflakes with cold milk As soon as I was done I fired up my laptop wrote a story and sent it to my editor I responded to other urgent emails while simultaneously putting the beans Id soaked overnight to boil on the stoveUncle Johann called my partner to tell him it was raining on the apple plantation so we couldnt go as planned at 9am to start picking This gave me more time to work By 11am Id finished my work and had lunch ready Rajmalike beans cooked in hearty spiced tomato gravy beetroot raita with toasted sunflower seeds and chapattis Id kneaded the dough the previous evening after returning from Innsbruck We ate by 1130am so we had time for a coffee and to get changed My partner made me wear at least six layers over my torso and gave me a pair of working trousers and two pairs of socks and gloves It was cold outside and he didnt want me to shiver We left for the plantationAs we surveyed the rows of trees he gave me instructions on picking the Pink Lady variety of apples There had to be at least a 40 per cent block of blushing redness for it to be harvested It took me a while to feel confident enough about my selection After about an hour he encouraged me to use both my hands to pick the fruit I began to relish the sound of the apple being torn off the stem Plucking is an onomatopoeic word I realisedHe was monitoring my work and I derived great pleasure from learning the tricks of his trade It made me more aware of how he amasses his vast reserves of patience and how and why he is so caring with his fingers and so calm and welltempered as a person I noticed how he places the apples in the container so preciously and yet without affect Occasionally we compared notes or I asked him about how he came to commit to working on this land or we shared an inside joke But mostly we inhabited a silenceI allowed thoughts to stream through my brain I revisited some ideas for instance I thought about how defensiveness is our goto defence mechanism when we feel reprimanded Were so conditioned to deflect blame when an incorrect behaviour is pointed out to us when it might be wiser for us to accept responsibility and apologise As children please thank you and sorry were taught to us like magic words As adults we prefer to be entitled than ask for permission we rarely ever give thanks and saying sorry doesnt ever come naturally Maybe were always waiting for an authority figure to compel us to use these words Im not sureI thought also about the difference between being entitled and being empowered If I ever have children I would like to be the kind of parent that encourages the latterMany songs sat in my head like earworms One was from my memory of singing in a choir and frequently at weddings It was a song called Walk through this world with me I felt soppy about it playing on loop for almost all of last week I always thought it was a hymn until I Googled it and learned it was a song by someone named George Jones The lyrics are super tacky but I just couldnt help it It was catchy and the last two lines resonated with how I was feelingWe got home by 530pm It was pitch dark by then Wed stopped by the butcher and bought two sausages He cooked them I made couscous with stirfried and lightly caramelised carrots and zucchini and experimented with aubergine strips coated with flour egg breadcrumbs and parmesan and then grilled them in the oven It was deliciousAfter Im done with this sentence I will grind the rice and urad dal Id soaked when we returned so we can have dosa for breakfast tomorrow with the leftover bean gravy from lunch Then I will sleep the sleep of the righteousDeliberating on the life and times of Everywoman Rosalyn DMello is a reputable art critic and the author of A Handbook For My Lover She tweets RosaParx Send your feedback tomailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates