Once upon a time there was a girl named Miss Apple who lived in the Fruit Academy.This academy was very special, in which lived all kinds of fruits, like oranges, grapes, strawberries, lemons and so on, all of them were classmates, learning together how to become more delicious and nutritious.
Ms. Apple is very pretty, with a red, round and lovely face.She is very popular in her class and everyone likes her.Not only because she is good-looking, but also because she is really delicious, sweet and rich in vitamins, which is good for the body.She also has a light scent that puts people in a better mood when they smell her.
But then, Ms. Apple has a little problem – she’s a little proud.Not the nasty kind of pride, but the kind that thinks she’s pretty great and that other people think so too, so she’s slowly getting used to being complimented.
She also has a friend she grew up with called Mr. Orange.He was also very good, with bright yellow skin that was sweet and sour as well as nutritious.Both of them were especially popular in the academy, and many people thought they were made for each other.
But strangely enough, although they were close, neither of them took the initiative to confess their love.Thus, they went from friends to colleagues, and then each went to different cities to work, and the contact became less and less, and finally almost cut off.
Ms. Apple sometimes think: we obviously so suitable, why did not together?Later she realized, perhaps because they are too proud, who is not willing to bow down first, and as a result missed each other.
After graduation, Ms. Apple came to a bigger city called “Fruit Kingdom”.It was a busy place with skyscrapers everywhere, and the streets were bustling with people.
When she first came here, she was full of confidence, thinking that she would be able to make a name for herself here.But reality slapped her hard.
She found that there were many fruits as beautiful as her.For example, Miss Lemon and Miss Peach, they were all very beautiful too; Miss Melon and Miss Pineapple also tasted very sweet; Miss Kiwi and Miss Guava were also very nutritious; and there were also Miss Strawberry and Miss Chelsea, who came from noble backgrounds and lived in conditions so much better than her.
In the fruit academy, she was one of the best of the bunch.But in this big city, she was just an ordinary fruit, no one noticed her when she walked on the street, and no one nodded and smiled at her.
What’s worse, the pace of life here is fast and everyone is busy grabbing resources.For example, renting an apartment, taking the subway, buying things …… everyone is squeezing and no one is letting anyone in.Ms. Apple is often bumped into, leaving a lot of scars on her body, and her originally smooth epidermis has become pitted, and she can no longer see the kind of shiny look she used to have.
Slowly, she began to doubt herself.She looked at herself in the mirror, the color was no longer so rosy, and her skin began to wrinkle a little.She thought to herself, “So I’m really just an ordinary fruit, I’ll only get older and less valuable in the future.”
Her pride disappeared a little bit, and her heart was empty, not knowing where the future lay.
Until one day, she met a senior in the company – Ms. Raisin.
Ms. Raisin was very old and looked dry, unlike her younger self.However, she is very serious in her work, and her words are crisp and clear.Her team is always very cohesive and everyone trusts her.
Ms. Apple admired her so much that she asked her privately, “How do you do it?I want to be confident and capable like you.”
Ms. Raisin laughed and said, “Actually, I was similar to you when I was young, silly and often bumping into walls.Back then I was a fresh grape with a boyfriend next to me, a persimmon.”
She took out a photo to show Ms. Apple, in which the grape was crystal clear and the persimmon next to it was red and shiny.
“We were all still pretty then.”Ms. Raisin smiled, “But fruits have a short shelf life and can go bad if you’re not careful.So I made up my mind long ago that I would have to take more from time than time took away.”
With hard work and a little bit of luck, the grape lady of that year became the raisin lady of today.Though she has lost the beauty of youth, she has wisdom and experience, which no one can take away from her.
“You’re still young,” Ms. Raisin patted Ms. Apple’s shoulder, “There’s still a long road ahead, now walk it well.”
When she finished, she took the hand of a man beside her.It was her husband, Mr. Dried Persimmon.Although the two men were older, they stood together with warm smiles and firm eyes, and it warmed Miss Apple’s heart to see them.
At that moment, she suddenly realized that true happiness is not about being glamorous on the outside, but about being able to remain calm and gentle on the inside even after weathering the storms of life.
From that day on, Ms. Apple began to re-observe the other fruits in the city.
She realized that in fact, every fruit has its own troubles.For example, Mr. Durian, who had a special taste that some people didn’t like, but he never cared about it, instead, he won many people over with this uniqueness.
Then there is Ms. Passion Fruit, she looks ordinary, but she is rich inside.She can live her ordinary days like a cup of plain water with sugar, simple but happy.
Mr. Tomato is also interesting.Some people argue whether he is a fruit or a vegetable, but he never pays attention to these voices and just does what he likes and lives happily.
Miss Apple looked at them and suddenly realized: everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, no one is perfect.The important thing is that no matter what difficulties you encounter, you have to persist in your efforts and live a wonderful life of your own.
So she decided to change herself.She was no longer obsessed with whether her appearance was perfect or not, and she no longer envied other people’s superior conditions.She began to work hard, study hard, help her coworkers, and take care of herself.
Gradually, she found her pride.But this time, her pride was no longer the arrogance of youthful arrogance, but the strength and self-confidence after experiencing setbacks.
Just one day when she had rediscovered the direction of her life, she unexpectedly met Mr. Orange on the street.
The two of them had not seen each other for many years, but they did not expect to be reunited on the streets of this big city.
They looked at each other, and both of their faces showed more signs of age.But the moment they looked at each other, Ms. Apple saw the light in Mr. Orange’s eyes – a pride that came from deep within, just like hers.
They didn’t say much, just smiled and walked towards each other.
For once, they both knew that each other had finally matured, and both had learned to cherish.
The truth behind the story.
This story is ostensibly about love and growing up in a fruit world, but it actually reflects a lot of truths in real life:
- Exterior appearance is not all: When we are young, it is often easy to be proud of our appearance or talent.But what really sustains a person far is inner strength and constant effort.
- Missing out is not an accident: The reason why Miss Apple and Mr. Orange didn’t get together earlier is because they were both trapped by their pride.In life, we also often miss many opportunities because of our stubbornness and pride.
- Growing up takes time: true maturity is not gained all at once, but rather, we slowly learn to stand up and learn to understand and tolerate as we fall down again and again.
- The ordinary can also shine: Even if you are not the most dazzling one, you can still live out your own luster as long as you live your life with all your heart.
What does this story tell us?
- Don’t be fooled by superficial success: Success at a young age doesn’t mean success forever, learn to face reality and accept change.
- True pride comes from within: It is not because you are better than others that you deserve to be proud, but because you are willing to keep trying even when you fail.
- Let go of pride to get closer to happiness: sometimes we need to let go of our pride before we can grasp what really matters.
- Growing up is learning to accept our imperfect selves: everyone gets older and experiences setbacks, but as long as there is love and courage in our hearts, we will never lose our light.
Summary.
This is not only a love story about fruits, but also a true portrayal of growth, self-awareness and life lessons.It tells us:
The real power is not to have never failed, but to be able to insist on moving forward after failure; the real happiness is not to have the most, but to know how to cherish the moment.
I hope that everyone who reads this story can be like Ms. Apple, in the journey of life, to find their own share of pride and tenderness.
