COVID-19 cases are on the increase again in many parts of America and the World as we go in to the holiday season so it is important to be vigilant. Just last week we had a big outbreak on Kauai due to a church gathering.
Dozens of folks were exposed. When we gather for Thanksgiving make sure everyone is vaccinated to protect the keiki and kupuna. Avoiding large gatherings will be necessary to keep our friends and families healthy and alive.
Still we can focus on our blessings. We are in control of our exposure to the pandemic now that we have the vaccines. The people that make up our Island population are special. Let us focus on the great contributions diverse ethnicities and cultures have bestowed on Hawaii and America as we move forward in this experiment called Democracy. Throughout history, there have been worse times and there have been better times.
We have had to struggle through crises and yet our country has met the challenges and become better for them. Let us not forget what our nation has survived from the terrible world war of the 1940s and onward. Millions of lives were lost. Many American Japanese were being treated as enemies. They lost their homes and were sent to internment camps. Then came the 1950s with prejudice against African Americans and folks of the Jewish faith as they were being labeled communists. The sixties came along with continued violence against African Americans plus the Vietnam War splitting our nation until the war came to an end in 1975. The next decade was scarred by the mistreatment of soldiers returning from Vietnam trying to find their place in society back home. And this goes on and on until we are here today. It sounds dismal, and we cannot forget the terrible price we pay for fear and hatred when it is allowed to consume our sensibilities. Now is the time instead that we should emphasize the power of faith, hope, love and healing in our thoughts and meditations every day. It is amazing to experience how our country has moved beyond anger and hate after years of war and suffering, even though some effects are still visibly present.
The motto “Lucky live Hawaii” is for real. We are somewhat insulated from much of the world’s turmoil. The tropics have many places with as much beauty as Hawaii, and there are many places where you can find friendly people. What is unique about Hawaii is that not only are we a beautiful and friendly place, we also have a form of government that allows us to live in relative safety and prosperity. Our form of government attempts to allow for rule of the majority with protection of the minority. It is just enough capitalistic that it rewards free enterprise and just enough socialistic that most folks have food, shelter and medical care. Now some readers would disagree, but compared to most tropical regions, we are very fortunate. In November and December of 2019, we were in Vietnam and Myanmar studying reforestation efforts there. We saw that Vietnam for example, fought for freedom from the French, but it is still recovering from the effects of that long war in which we became involved. Some people of Vietnam still live very close to hunger, illness and a relatively short life span. Folks there are enduring, tenacious and hard working, but without an environment that allows their talents to prosper, some struggle to thrive. Hard working farmers of the countryside there would be millionaires if they were living in Hawaii where we have many more opportunities to excel. The apparent peaceful Myanmar we experienced was soon to be destroyed by civil war with a military takeover. In communication with friends we had made in both countries, life is hard and unpredictable.
Sometimes we forget how fortunate we are. Too often, Thanksgiving is about eating too much rich food and the worry that the weight gain is likely to continue until the New Year or maybe Easter. Unlike much of the tropical world, we don’t usually have to worry about from where our next meal comes. However, it should be the perfect time to sincerely give thanks for all the many blessings around us in Hawaii every single day. Not only do we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, we are blessed with one of the most diverse populations of most other parts of our great country. This creates an environment of inclusion. We can be friends with anyone we like and marry anyone we want. With this mixture of ethnicities and cultures, we have an abundance of a great variety of foods and our gardens reflect our diversity.
We celebrate this abundance with Mango Festivals, Breadfruit Festivals, Avocado festivals and our special coffee with the Kona Coffee and Cultural Festival. We even have a Macadamia Festival. These events merely scratch the surface when it comes to all the amazing fruits, nuts, vegetables and spices we are able to grow.
Hawaiian gardeners may grow scores of tropical fruits like citrus, mangos, bananas, avocados, mangosteen and even durian but often overlook some favorites from warm temperate climates like apples, peaches, pomegranates, figs, kiwi fruits and persimmons. With all the microclimates available, we can grow almost anything. The joy of sharing the fruits of our gardening labor at local farmers markets and with our neighbors adds even more blessings.
To get the most out of all these choices, check with local nurseries for these fruit trees and more. Our gardens represent the many cultures that have made Hawaii special.
Remember, one of the best ways to count our daily blessings is by spending some time in our multicultural gardens appreciating the fruits of our efforts and the contributions the many cultures have bestowed upon us. To learn more, call the UH-CTAHR Master gardener helpline in Kona at (808) 322-4993 or in Hilo at (808) 981-9155.