Snapdragons

The sun was shining bright today in the upstate New York orchard where I go in September. It was that magical day when I was made aware by said orchard that the honeycrisp apples were ready to be picked. I suppose it was about five years ago when I discovered this magical food. It is the perfect variety of crispness and sourness that I wait all year for. This orchard grows them as big as my head and to be quite honest my fantasies of eating these begin sometime in late July. Yesterday was the day. I took my 5 and 6 year old off the bus and directly to the orchard. I think they must have eaten three apiece while picking them and admittedly I took my job as token adult to be quality control as I sampled some as well. I carefully taught them to look for the ones with some red on them. Watch for worm holes and no. We do not pick them up off the ground and put them in the bag. Only fresh from the tree. Ah yes....my annual quest for the honeycrisp apple was being realized right there in the afternoon sun.

Looking at the wet grass and trees as my 5 and 6 year old wandered around eating apple after apple I began to wonder what my big race would be like. What the finish line would look like or better yet how that would feel. A lifetime of epic fails to be healthy, now 18 months of solid training with time off for the tiny broken hip and surgery....wait. I broke my freaking hip 7.5 months ago and had surgery. Sudden anxiety over that....rattling around thoughts suddenly interrupted by overflowing bags of my coveted honey crisps that two little guys could not lift. This led to serious apple sorting and a drive back to check out.

At the scales I struck up a conversation with the orchard guy. I admitted my honeycrisp addiction and  he assures me I am not alone in this addiction and really at this point there truly was no need for outside help or some sort of honeycrisp support group. As I paid I felt that final sense of accomplishment. Mission accomplished. That is until his parting words to me were,"hey, if you like those you should try our Snapdragons. A hybrid between the honeycrisp and a gala."  As I drove off trying to envision this I was struck by the sudden need for a new apple quest. The snapdragon.....yes. Next time.

In that moment I also realized perhaps I had this race all wrong. I have nothing else on the books definitely for another event. I have been invited to two other events but nothing in stone. I have a feeling I had considered this a final destination of sorts. Cross the finish line. Put a lifetime of fitness failures spanning back to grade school behind me. Beat the odds that were stacked against me after a surgical repair of a hip fracture.  I have a knack of doing that when I reach goals. Complacency.  The curse of the modern adult. This time though just maybe I should finish the race,  God willing, and look for the guy with the snapdragons. I have a feeling that is the guy who sees the best is yet to come.