Raspberries … such a beautiful fruit, bursting with sweet juice, and such a vibrant red color … so pleasing to the eye, yet what happens when you bite into the berry? There you find a multitude of seeds that become lodged between the teeth and prove irritating. And so, you find an alternate way of eating the raspberry. Instead of chewing, you press down lightly and thus enjoy the juice and the sweet flavor without the irritants.

Is not your life like this at times? Are there not numerous irritations and people who get stuck between your teeth, so to speak? They will always be there. They are part of the “berry”, but are they not surrounded by sweetness and beauty?

Do not chew so hard. Do not bite down and grind away when the irritants make their presence known, but merely acknowledge they are there and savor the sweetness anyway. The seeds all play a role, as do you. Savor this life, irritants and all, remembering that irritants are in the mind. It is all in how you choose to consume each beautiful experience. Focus not on the seeds, but on the sweetness. It is all around you.