The Banana Box Challenge...

...what will you leave in yours...?...

Since we were married in 1986, Lynn and I have had 13 homes in 3 countries on 2 continents, and each time we move, we know that packing delicate articles requires specialist packing in trusty Banana Boxes...

These boxes are generally made of Double Wall Corrugated Cardboard as opposed to the Single Wall material used in Apple or even Orange boxes; they stack really well, are ventilated and have an opening in the lid so that the contents can be seen without removing it..

Trust me on the Banana Boxes...

A couple of weeks ago, a friend in Germany told me that his Grandfather had died at the ripe old age of 92, and the task of clearing his house and looking after all the "arrangements" had fallen to him...

The one thing that affected him the most, apart from the obvious grief at the loss of a member of the family; was what was actually left behind.

He showed me into his garage, where stacked up at the back, were around a dozen Banana Boxes containing papers, trinkets and the remaining evidence of a life.

He looked at them and simply said;

"It is really sobering to think that after 92 years, a life gets compressed into just a few boxes at the back of a garage..."

In the boxes were catalogues, brochures and pictures; there was also a number of "To Do" lists, invitations to parties and events that had remained unopened.

There was a blank passport application form, and numerous Post It notes attached to pages of magazines and flyers.

It seemed as if it was a collection of missed opportunities, where "thinking about it" had replaced  "Let's do it..."

One Day...

One day, when you have completed your life, someone will be looking at a similar set of your Banana Boxes at the back of a garage; the contents of which may be the only physical reminder of who you were and what you did... 

Your Banana Box Challenge - BBC - is simply this;

What will be in the boxes you leave behind...?

Will they be filled with memories of a life fully lived, or evidence of procrastination. Will they be filled with joy, amusement and fulfilment or fear, worry and regret...?

What would your BBC look like right now - is there space for more achievement, fun, contribution and travel...?

The time to start filling your BBC is now - we all have less time than we think, so how about if right now you made the one decision that you have been putting off, made the call you have been avoiding or simply said yes to the opportunity that you have been denying...

When strangers and family look through your Banana Boxes neatly stacked at the back of some garage; what will they find...?