Hola desde Honduras

Coffee Is Life

This week I’m at the Producer Roaster Forum (PRF) in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. 

This is an opportunity for coffee farmers (producers) to connect with roasters. I’m here as part of the team from One BIGG Island in Space (OBIIS).


The OBIIS booth is proudly featuring one of our farm partners, Finca Terrerito, from Copán Honduras. 


Here’s the thing. I’m learning that Coffee is Life . . . and I don’t mean that in the “I NEED my coffee in the morning!” kind of way. 😉

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“The planet we live on is finite, not infinite. 
The planet we live on is interdependent. 
There are no real borders to air, water, and land. 

On this planet we live on, there is just one human race,
and with all the blessing we have been given,
it is our obligation to be good stewards,
avoid the temptations of greed and selfishness,
and preserve what we were given for the next generation. Period.”

~ Bob Fish, Co-Founder of One BIGG Island in Space

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Hola mis amigas y mis amigos!

I’m a newbie to the coffee industry, and I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand what it takes to produce coffee in several different countries around the world. I’ve now walked around multiple coffee farms in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Vietnam, The Philippines, and Burundi, 

Sierra Leone and Mozambique will be added to my list yet this Spring. 

As I travel, I spend a lot of time observing. And listening. And learning. 

And while my musings are not yet fully formed, I want to let you in on some of what I see. 

People are the same. Everywhere. 

Sure . . . we might look different. Wear different clothing. Speak different languages. 

And yet, we are all the same. 
And by that? I mean that we all want the same things. 

We want food and housing security. Access to clean water. 

We want to be heard. And seen. And loved. 

We want connection. And fulfillment. And purpose. 

And still, huge swaths of the world toil, day in, and day out, all year long, in an attempt to meet basic needs.

Simultaneously, other parts of the world turn on faucets that run perfectly cold, or hot, whenever we want them to. The lights go on with the flick of a switch or the touch of a button. The grocery store down the street is stacked with healthy foods, and we can afford to buy them. We jump in our cars and drive whenever we need to. Sometimes we do it just for fun!

I didn’t ask to be born in this skin. To my loving parents. And be raised speaking this language, or with these cultural norms. 

I’m not special, and I’m not significant. 
Sure, I mean something to those who love me and care about me. 
But in the scope of this world . . . of this life? I am less than miniscule. 

I think it’s important I know that. 

Because . . . it helps my perspective. 
It reminds me that I don’t need to fixate on accruing things nor gathering wealth.  

While I am insignificant, I also know that each and every one of us can make a difference in this life. 

That may seem paradoxical. But think about it. 
Right now there are more than 8 BILLION people on this planet.. 
In that scale? I am simply a speck of dust. We all are. 

And guess what? That means Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela., and Mahatma Gandhi were also just specks of dust. 
And look at the impact they each had? 

The important question is then: What kind of difference do each of us want to make? 

Right now, while so much is devolving around us, what do I want to do with this teeny-tiny life of mine? 

Do I think I’m going to impact the world like one of the greats identified above?

Absolutely not. 

And yet, I strive to be a source of light. A refuge for peace. An openhearted human who cares for the planet and all of humanity. 
Someone who is willing to continue learning. And be of service to those around me. Someone who learns from mistakes and admits when she’s wrong. 

These are just some of the things we are thinking about and talking about while at a coffee convention. Everything happening here provides a powerful lens into the complexities of life. 

Things are extra challenging in the world of coffee right now. Price fluctuations. Climate instability and crisis. A system that rarely takes care of those who grow the very coffee we continue to enjoy.  

And, I know these challenges transcend coffee. 

The challenges we all face right now? 
They’re huge. And they’re real. And they’re incredibly complex. 

Coffee is just like the rest of life.

It can be delicious. 
It can be sweet. 
It can be bitter. 
It can earn you a profit.
It can bankrupt you. 
There are those who come out ahead.
And those who fall further and further behind. 

I know who works the hardest in coffee. The farmers and the pickers. 
And I wouldn’t last a day in either of those jobs. 

You may think my pivot into this coffee world is an unlikely addition to teaching yoga. But you know what? I’m just beginning to understand there really is no separation. My desire to raise vibration, and be a source of light, is my unifying force. It’s what I want to do with this one small life of mine. 

Thank you for being with me on this journey. 
I hope we are unified in the desire for a purposeful pathway forward. 
In our work towards creating and implementing solutions. 
In building connectivity and caring for all those around us. 
Especially those whose voices are being diminished. 

In service,

m