110 Bananas

There's something at once absurd and humorous about pushing a crate of bananas through a store. Disenchanted with the constant store trips to fuel my growing banana addiction, yesterday, I decided to go whole hog and buy in bulk. 110 bananas—approximately 40 lbs worth—shut down a lane at the local Whole Foods while two clerks tried to figure out how to price them (a crazy good deal, 18 cents per banana; $20 for the crate).

Leading up to my checkout stalemate, weaving my way through the store post-banana acquisition was a real treat. I stopped to get some fish and the guy behind the counter looked at me half-amused, half-concerned. Passing by other customers as I checked off my list, I struggled to hold back a smirk as I knew the looks I was getting were backed by the inevitable question "why does this guy have so many fucking bananas?!"

Bananas aside, the ridiculousness of the moment was a clear reminder to enjoy yourself. Perhaps even more so in unconventional ways. While the political climate and ultimate uncertainty of the future are looming like an engorged cloud, sometimes, it helps to laugh a little bit. How you find joy doesn't really matter as long as you track it down. The world may be spiraling but you don't have to.

One of the stickier bits of wisdom my father shared with me back in 2011 when I first started working for myself: "don't let anybody steal your joy." So far, several attempts by others have been unsuccessful. I'll say, looking back on my own personal grief, the one thing that has kept me afloat is knowing when to just stop and laugh at everything for a little bit.

When everyone else is down, try picking things up. It helps.