Avocado

My very first avocado has ripened!

It may not sound that way, but this is absolutely a momentous occasion, significant on several levels. Allow me to explain:
First of all, this is an avocado that I purchased. It did not come from the dining hall, it did not come from my parents' fridge, and it was not bought for me at a restaurant by a boy. I bought it, all by myself, because I went food shopping. Not to get brie and wine to treat myself, but out of necessity. I am now providing for myself. Because I'm an adult now! It's very exciting.

Second, this avocado represents the essential adventure of trying new things. I vividly remember tasting an avocado in sixth grade and feeling completely repulsed by it, and since then it has been stored in my head as a certain personal fact that I do not like avocado. (Although this was actually kind of silly, because I like guacamole, and I love california rolls. But anyway.) But two of the many things I respect about the people I work with are their healthy lifestyles and their excellent taste, and when everyone insisted on eating raw avocados as snacks several times a day I felt compelled to take a second taste. And it was delicious. So then of course I started sharing my friends' avocados, which I imagine must have been a little irritating for them. But another thing I respect about them is their generosity both in sharing with me and in putting up with me, so it wasn't a big deal. Eventually, however, I decided it was time to get my own avocados.

This was conveniently at the same time that the dining halls closed for the summer and my roommate and I found ourselves suddenly on our own. So, we walked--making good choices right and left!--to the grocery store to begin being grown-ups about things. I was craving avocado and annoyed to find that none of the avocados there were ripe (though our loud discussion about this prompted a strange man to offer some very helpful advice involving a paper bag and the sun to hasten the ripening process). But I picked out four that I thought looked good (nervously, because what do I really know about picking out avocados?), bagged them up, bought them, and walked them home. Three went into the fridge and one sat out. And now, today, it has finally ripened! I'm about to dig in but first, a toast: to growing up! and to doing it right!