The world of coffee never ceases to deepen in its mysterious intricacies to me, for the more I learn about the history, production and traditions associated with coffee, the more I learn that there is so much more to learn. I was reading about arabica beans last night and their similarity to the human spirit was so striking that I feel compelled to share.
Howard Schultz describes these amazing little beans as follows:
“Wherever the location, the best beans — the ones with enchantingly complex flavors and compelling characters, known as arabica — grow under some degree of stress, like high altitudes, intense heat, or long dry periods. Such harsh weather conditions can produce high-quality bean. … No doubt about it. Coffee’s journey from soil to cup is quite amazing.”
Charles de Gaulle once said that “a man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities,” and I couldn’t agree more. We must recognize our compelling qualities and complex beauty that has come from our years of the circumstantial stress and difficulty that has weeded itself throughout our lives. Our own journey from year to year is itself quite amazing, and the more harsh our past has been upon us, the more refined and beautiful of an arabica bean we have developed into being.
One of the greatest gifts of life to the individual is that we all have the power to see the world from the perspective we choose. Choose your perspective wisely and you will start seeing how beautifully the circumstances of your life have refined you into a man or woman of great character, great joy and great love.