Consider life as a bowl of apples, with each type of apple in the bowl symbolizing the different types of people we meet. Understanding the variety among these individuals is crucial.
Let’s start with the red apple. To me, a red apple symbolizes someone we have a close, positive relationship with. Red apples are people you speak with several times a week. They know a lot about you and are trustworthy. You can rely on them for honest feedback. They’re there for you when you need them. Everyone is after the red apple, but there are fewer of them.
Then there are green apples. They’re also delicious and represent positive people in our lives. While they know much about you, you don’t have the same deep relationship with them as you do with the red apples. You talk less and catch up when you can. You’re also supportive of one another but less likely to be vulnerable. You probably have more green apples in your life than red ones.
Finally, there are the brown apples. If you know anything about fruit, when there is one bad apple, it spoils the red apples around it. Unfortunately, we all have brown apples in our lives. These are people who drain us of our emotional energy. We try to avoid them, or at least we should, but we can eliminate them. They could be family, co-workers, or people inside our social circles. Removing the brown apples when possible and managing our relationship with those we can’t avoid is important.
Focus on filling your bowl with red and green apples for a more fulfilling, meaningful, and stress-free life.