Pineapple tattoos
I once had a friend who got a tattoo of a pineapple on her shoulder. Not a dragon, not a heart with her partner’s name scribed across it (which can be tricky if the partner changes), not a butterfly – a pineapple. She told me that pineapples were a symbol of hospitality and she loved being hospitable to people.
A lovely intention, a smile-inducing image – but can we truly welcome every one who crosses the threshold of our awareness? Not just those whom we might choose to engage with but also those we don’t choose: who we meet as we sit in a doctor’s waiting room, stand in the queue in the rain to buy avocados from the fruit stall, encounter in the news, see in the mirror? What about confusing circumstances, challenging conditions, amazing surprises, endless repetitions of a routine?
It would be incredible (and astonishing) if we could put up our hand and say ‘Yes, I am open to everything and welcome it.’ For those of you who can, deep bows! For the rest of us, the reality is that some things and some people are easier to welcome than others, for all sorts of reasons. Part of our unfolding, our transformation as we gradually change day to day with ethical and kindly mindfulness practice can be noticing where we might flinch at something or someone, never mind welcoming them. Clocking that, recognising our humanity in this tightness and maybe reflecting on why that might arise. If there is a next time, maybe see what happens. Simply by the sheer act of turning towards our closure, that unconscious reaction might, maybe, perhaps just soften going forward into a slightly more open response.
And while you’re at it, rejoice when you do warmly welcome someone, something, yourself. It’s the power of the pineapple tattoo, secretly lurking on all of our shoulders.
With a bow
Maitripushpa
