In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “180 Degrees.”
Tell us about a time you did a 180 — changed your views on something, reversed a decision, or acted in a way you ordinarily don’t.
My immediate family loves strawberries and during strawberry season, they would drag me along to a local farm where they would pick strawberries and pay by the pound what they collected. Standing at the edge of the field, I could see my family pick three or four pounds of strawberries per-person, however, I can guarantee you they ate one pounds before walking back to the weigh-in table.
Upon returning, they would wash off what the had not eaten on the drive home and some strawberries were placed into bowls of cream, and cover lightly with powdered sugar. Some mixed with their vanilla ice cream and some were eaten the following morning in their bowl of cold or hot cereal.
But, my fondest memories are watching my mother and father biting into a strawberry, and seeing the green leafy stem between their fingers and putting it into the trash-can between them.
My parents often stared at me with utter bewilderment, as I refused to eat the sweet-smelling, seed covered Strawberry. What is most unusual, was the fact, I would eat strawberry pie, strawberry jellies, jams and strawberry ice cream. However, I never enjoyed the seeds covering the strawberry.
Many years into adulthood, thirty or forty years to be exact. I attended an outdoor summer party where the sweet aroma of a bowl of large strawberries caught my attention. The host encouraged me to try a strawberry. So feeling brave, I placed one in my mouth. When I pierced the strawberry with my teeth, my mouth filled with the delightful taste of the strawberry and my mouth was salivating for the second bite.
The taste and sweetness over-rode my dislike for the seeds and I ate a strawberry for the first time since I was a child. They were so good, I ate the entire bowl of strawberries. On that summer day, I became contented with eating raw strawberries.
It took many years to complete my 360 degree circle to like raw strawberries.
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