This post is totally off topic, intended only for those who want a little brain exercise and reflection time.

Last night I watched the movie Phenomenon with John Travolta & Kyra Sedgwick. There was a particular scene that stuck with me.

John Travolta’s character George Malley is dying from a brain tumor. He has just befriended Kyra Sedgwick’s character & her two children. The kids, however, are upset at becoming his friend only to find out he’s about to die. George has a fascinating way of handling this topic with the kids.

He takes an apple and explains that if the apple was just thrown on the ground, it would rot away and be gone forever. But if you were to take a bite of the apple, that bite becomes a part of you forever.

In a touching moment in the movie, the kids both end up taking huge bites of the apple.

The scene got me thinking… What bites of *apple* have I taken that are still with me?

The first thought that came to my mind was my homeroom teacher & swim coach from high school who had two phrases he repeated often. The first was, “Can’t never did nothing!” To this day, if you say to me, “I can’t,” I’ll respond instinctively and immediately with that quote. His second quote was, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. The harder you practice the luckier you get.”

Both of those quotes must be in the forefront of my unconscious mind because of how fast they jump into the conscious when the opportunity presents itself. And every time I say them, I picture Coach Pultz standing next to me.

That is just one of many apples I’ve eaten in life. Other apples include every camp counselor who put up with my shenanigans as a kid, every speaker who inspired me to try something new, every writer who wrote something I wanted to remember.

I’m curious to hear about your apples. What apples have you eaten in your life that are a part of you forever? And have you eaten any apples today? Also, what apples are you offering for others? How far does your orchard spread?

You might be surprised when you stop to think about how wide an influence you already have in this world because of those who have eaten your apples.

Sure gives a new meaning to the phrases, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and “You’re the apple of my eye,” doesn’t it?

-Phil