The Apples of my Eye

The recent passing of Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Corporation, has me thinking about the mystery and evolution surrounding a fruit known as the apple. The apple has touched my life and has been an icon since before I was born. It is grown and eaten everywhere around the world. There is an estimated 7500 different species of apples that are known to date with that number possibly rising in the future. I share my memories of the apple to properly give it the respect it is due.

All my life I can associate an apple with a different image. In my early Sunday school classes at church I learned the apple was the forbidden fruit that Eve ate and convinced Adam to take a bite thus introducing sin into the world. Even though nowhere in the Bible is the fruit of the tree of knowledge named an apple, every picture I have seen of the Garden of Eden shows it. A rough start for the reputation of this fruit.

My next memory of the apple was having it in my grade school lunch. Mother would insist, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” I never really had time to eat a whole apple at school because recess was right after lunch and that was much more important than eating. I never questioned this wisdom because kids just didn’t disrespect, I just believed.

The Johnny Appleseed story is my next recollection. I was taught during history class in 3^rd grade how the apple tree was shared across the United States. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around a man who walked the earth and planted seeds, with no home or family, just so apples could be eaten by everyone. I am not even sure if the Johnny Appleseed story is still taught in grade school today but I was convinced this fruit is gold.

Then, at the theatre when I was 10, I got to see the animated Disney film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Once again the apple was at the forefront of the story. Snow White took a bite of the poison apple and fell into a deep sleep. She could only be awakened with a kiss from a prince. The apple reputation was on the line again but with different results then the Garden of Eden. This story ignited my inner romance and for years I looked for my prince. Fortunately I found him and we have been together for 40 years, but that is another story.

My next exposure to the memory of the apple was the hugely popular television show ‘Live from New York, it’s Saturday night’ that began in the early 70s. During the opening sequence all the “not ready for prime time players” were introduced one at a time and Gilda Radner always took a bite from an apple. When the show first aired I was raising small babies and SNL was my mental stimulus from the daily grind of caring for a family. Sadly Gilda also passed away from cancer but I still remember her bite of the apple and how funny she was.

Going full circle this brings me back to Steve Jobs who actually capitalized the word Apple. His bite out of the apple was different but still contributed to making my life more enjoyable. The current generation will always associate the apple with a variety of computer devices and may even forget the founder’s name, but will always remember the apple with a good reputation that should carry it on for generations to come.