Taste buds.. such a strange concept. To think that I may one day like something and over time my desire for said item will no longer exist. With that being said there's no moment or memory in time I can refer you back to that would describe where my attachment of pineapples began. I never even liked the taste of pineapples until just recently. Instead, I'll bring you back to the beginning of the year, back to what felt like a mid life crisis in my twenties. I remember back against the wall, crouched down, mascara running and wine bottle in hand just weeping and hating myself. The world was caving in on me and, to me, it felt like I couldn't do anything right. Looking in the mirror, I couldn't identify the person looking back at me. I had always been a strong independent woman, never taking "no" for an answer, but somehow through all of my hurt, I lost that desire and most importantly that opinion of myself. I lost my independence and boldness and I had no urge to try and get it back.

That was until one day.

I remember hanging out at my friend's apartment. We had just ordered pizza and while I was looking forward to the traditional pepperoni my friend was waiting the arrival of her not so traditional... pineapple pizza. Now with food, I have always been a picky eater. I like what I like and very seldom do I venture out of my food comfort zone, but that day was different. Tasting that pineapple pizza might sound silly to you, but it honestly was a huge step for me at this point. Since I had the courage to venture from my food comfort zone, I started to ponder, "what if i ventured out more?" It didn't happen over night and because pizza isn't magical in a way most people would describe magic, I didn't even notice it at first.

All through the summer I began seeing pineapple this and pineapple that and without knowing it, the thought of venturing out kept creeping up on me as a conscious memory. This was right around the time I heard Odyssey needed writers, and while I would never consider myself for a position such as this, even with my love for the art of writing, that creeping feeling of venturing out came to me. It was then that I decided I wanted, well, needed to do more; more for myself, more for my friends and family. At this point, I started to write for Odyssey and started a new job. With a mindset that I could take over the world, I headed out on my new life path that I could do anything I set my mind to. Pretty inspirational, huh? You're probably asking, "pineapples did that to you?" Well, maybe not exactly, but I'm a firm believer in the saying, "everything happens for a reason" and you could call it a coincidence. If you didn't know though, pineapples are actually made as a result of many individual unique flowers whose fruitlets join together at its core. Now I may not be a flower, but my mom always used to tell me my name meant "Beautiful Blossom" and I think it's pretty interesting how all the little things that make me unique have joined around my core to make me the person I am today.

Through this writing experience involving what pineapples mean to me I have learned a lot and I'll leave you all with this one side note and last fun fact involving none the less but a pineapple. Once harvested, pineapples don’t continue to ripen. Every single pineapple in the grocery store is going to be as ripe as it will ever be. The difference in colors is mostly based on where the pineapples were grown, so a green or yellow pineapple can be just as sweet and delicious as a golden brown one. The inside is never going to change. I believe this is a strong truth that most Americans and even non Americans need to grasp. We as humans are all different on the outside. We were all "grown" or raised in different environments and as a result, we think, act and, most importantly, look different. On the inside though, we are all the same and the color of our skin shouldn't be a factor on how "sweet" we are on the inside. So don't judge a person by its skin, they may look different than you, but are just as sweet!