The calendar is turning in just two days!

I’m all about resolving to become a better “me.” I start the New Year full of good intentions, and in recent years, I’ve become better about actually seeing those resolutions through.

This week, as I reflected on the past year and where it’s brought me, I realized that the very product I market—the pear—perfectly represents what most of us are striving to find in the coming year. Here’s why:

• In ancient China, people believed that pears represented immortality and prosperity because pear trees live for a long time.
• In Korea, the pear symbolizes grace and nobility. The pear tree is a symbol of comfort. In many Korean legends, the pear gives women fertility. It also bestows wisdom and health.
• In some Christian contexts, the pear symbolizes the Virgin and Child, likely because of its sweetness.
• In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the pear tree symbolizes inner peace.
• The pear is a symbol of affection in many cultures. In Chinese, the word li means both pear and separation, so it’s said that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide pears between themselves. (More for me!)

Whatever you’re resolving to do or not do in the new year, look to the pear for inspiration. Eat a pear when you’re feeling down on your resolutions—it can’t hurt to have the symbol of prosperity, inner peace, and grace on your side!

All of us at Pear Bureau Northwest wish you a happy and prosperous future. As you embark on another year, may you be filled with ins-pear-ation!