The
Joy Of Watermelon
Watermelon, at the appropriate times, is everything that is right and good with the world.
I walk home in the sweltering heat, a backpack pulling at my shoulders, and all I can do is sweat and think "Ugh". I arrive at my house, wishing I could collapse. But lo and behold, I open the refrigerator and there is a ziploc bag of crisp watermelon slices, gleaming. I take, I bite, and suddenly it's all worth it. All the bad thoughts I had before, the resentment of walking and thirsting, are gone and I am awash in the relief of Watermelon.
Having no other recourse, I start thinking. The only reason the watermelon was so delicious was because I had been so desperate. If I had gotten a ride home in an air conditioned car, I might not have eaten any watermelon at all. I might have gone on never realizing the true joys I could've experienced. So maybe this falls under the "No Pain, No Gain" category. Maybe happiness can only come through unhappiness. But I prefer to think that the only reason to put up with suffering at all(or in my case, inconvenience), is that sweets are only so much sweeter. Greats are only so much greater. Watermelons are only so much more watermelonier.
Is this delicious fruit really so symbolic, so meaningful?
The answer, of course, is that it's just a melon.