My mom taught me how to pick blueberries, raspberries and blackberries in the woods of Maine at a very early age. She taught me how to tell how a berry was ripe to pick, how to pick cleanly, and how to navigate the brambles to avoid getting too scratched. Today, I picked berries to sell at a market, and I used those same techniques. As I was picking, I started thinking about the phrase, "Life is like a box of chocolates". Although I have always loved that phrase (because I love chocolate), I started thinking that life may be more like a bramble of raspberries. At times, you have to be patient. When a raspberry isn't ready to be picked, you might end up with a bunch of thorns instead. Other times, you unexpectedly stumble upon a whole bunch of beautiful berries just waiting to be picked. It's peaceful picking berries, until a bird yells at you for taking what she might feel is rightfully hers. All in all, it's always an adventure. Today I discovered black raspberries, which may just be my new favorite, got utterly scratched by the thorns, and let countless children try raspberries right off the bush.
