The Mighty Bean That Unites the World
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it is attached to the rest of the world.” — John Muir, co-founder of the Sierra Club and Father of the National Park System
A pickup truck rumbled over the road as a small ball of light illuminated the horizon. The cawing roosters scattered as the truck careened onto the path towards me.
“Buenos días Chinita! Adelante!” A young man reached over the back and hoisted me into the cargo bed.
In the huddle of people, I wiggled into a space next to a young family from Nicaragua. The son poked his head from under his mother’s arm and ducked back into her bosom.
As if the truck had entrapped a genie, clouds of dust and debris spun into the air at each pick up. As the haze settled, new passengers appeared until the cargo bed was filled elbow to elbow with people. We were heading to the finca for the final harvest of the coffee picking season in Costa Rica.
Coffee filtered into my life in various shades and zest growing up in New York City. I used to hop into the car with my father, excited to run errands with him around the city…
