Taking things for granted
Every day we take many things for granted, perhaps because they are readily available to us. I am in Jamaica right now, and it occurred to me that my readers who have not travelled to a country in the tropics would appreciate seeing some photographs of some of the fruits they may consider exotic. These fruits are growing in my yard, but the coconut tree is in my neighbour’s yard. Because I grew up in Jamaica, and had access to these fruits, I have never stopped to think about where they came from, because I didn’t have to. As a child, while growing up in Savanna-la-mar, a rural town in southern Jamaica, we also had a guinep tree, and an almond tree. I know that most people who see almonds in a can or the raw nuts in a health food store, have never stopped to think where they came from – and it wouldn’t occur to them that it came from a tree.
Twelve years ago, friends of mine were on a sabbatical for a year, and half of that time was spent in Jamaica. For them, it was quite novel to see and climb a mango tree in my mom’s yard. Additionally, a few years ago, while we were vacationing in Grenada, I saw a nutmeg tree for the first time. My niece and I visited a nutmeg factory for a tour, and learned about all the derivative products – allspice, mace, oil, perfume… That was a really good lesson for the two of us. Although we grew up in a tropical country, like you, it never occurred to us that the nutmeg came from a tree.
As American Thanksgiving approaches (A brief history of Canadian Thanksgiving), let’s give thanks for farmers, a dying breed, who grow the crops that we consume. Let’s think about all the people in the chain who ensure that fresh fruits and vegetables are available for us to purchase in the supermarket – all the people who make from field to table possible.
On our property, we have sweetsop, soursop, mango – Julie and East Indian (those are the actual names of the mangoes) – breadfruit, ackee (Ackee and Salt Fish is the national dish of Jamaica), avocado, Otaheite apple, orange, lime, cherry, and banana. We are very grateful for our bounty, and being right here, right now, is a great reminder to not take things for granted.
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Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people.
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