The wisdom of not hurting pomegranates

I was peeling a pomegranate today, and the idea of working with what there is rather of what I wished became so clear.

I started by drawing a circumference around it with the knife, very lightly, to only cut the skin and not damage the seeds. It was not enough for it to break it open in half with my hands, so I started peeling it from the cut I had done. I exposed maybe a fourth of the seeds, which I slowly let crumble into a dish, while I carefully continued to peel the skin and sensing when it would be a good time to try break it open again. I had a good amount of seeds already in the dish when I tried again, gently, following a rift, and I felt it giving way and opening in halves. It didn't open where I expected it to open, but since I was going slow I could change my course and follow where it wanted to go. And then again in fourths. From there it was all downhill.

I could have taken a big knife and a cutting board and imposed my will and have it in fourths from moment one. I would have thrown away a number of shattered seeds, I would have needed to clean the blood-like mess it would have ensued, and the seeds wouldn't have peeled as easily with the liquid film surrounding them and my fingers.
I could have, as soon as I had peeled it just enough, imposed my will and have it open in halves, likely resulting in seeds flying all around me when the pomegranate opened with effort before it was ready.

Instead I managed to stay with the pomegranate, sometimes lightly asking "Are you ready to open yet? No? Okay, we'll take a bit more", with no anger nor pressure for making things happen. I had a friend close by who said: "I love pomegranates, but I don't eat them because I don't have the patience to do what you're doing." I felt like replying: "I don't know how you can not have it."

This clarified so much what it means to work with a person with what there is, and not imposing our expectations, or wanting to make things happen. Of being open to following where things take us, of listening and adjusting our course.