Growing Apples Reminds Us to Protect Our Fruit
Apple growers have to be vigilant because apple trees attract every type of pest imaginable, seen and unseen. Because of their delicious taste and reliability as an energy source, deer, raccoons, birds, and insects are constantly eating from the trees. But growers also have to be mindful of the neighboring trees. If there is a juniper tree species within a mile or two of an apple tree, the trees will pass a fungus back and forth that will seriously impact the apple tree’s ability to produce edible fruit. In the same way, people must be vigilant.
Each person has the ability to produce “fruit”, also known as our gifts and talents. And just like the apple tree growers, we have to worry about the pests that are attracted to our fruits, stripping us bare, as they feed only themselves. We also have to be careful about who is in our vicinity because other people (well or ill intentioned) can infect us, not with a biological fungus, but a psychological one: anger, shame, low self-esteem, or fear. It won’t kill us but will seriously impact our ability to produce our fruit.
Successful apple growers know that they have to use physical barriers to keep away the pests, rely on fungicides and pesticides, and make sure that they plant their trees in an environment where there are no fungus carriers. Successful people must do the same thing:
Create physical barriers to deter pests
Arm yourself with the things that make us resistant to those that would rob us of our fruits
Ensure fungus carriers are far away from us
All of this takes work, but is required to produce quality apple trees…and people
This web site is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.
Photo by Emmalee Couturier on Unsplash