Thursday is Thanksgiving and giving thanks for the many blessings we have in Hawaii should be a daily event.
Getting back home after traveling from Italy and North Africa, it is clear we are better off than many places. We tend to complain about the high cost of living, but in Egypt for example, inflation has risen to more than 300 percent over a couple of years. The U.S. dollar is worth 50 Egyptian pounds. Not long ago a dollar would be equivalent to 17 pounds so the pound lost two thirds of its value in a short time!
The conflict in Gaza has seriously cut back tourism since it is very close to Egypt. However, we found folks there very friendly. We felt it was quite safe traveling around Cairo and up the Nile to the border of Sudan. So don’t miss an opportunity to travel and spend time in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco if you want to have the experience of a lifetime. It will truly change your way of thinking in a positive way.
Here on the Big Island we are somewhat insulated from much of the world’s turmoil. The tropics of the world 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 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 African, Asian or American countries this is a reality.
Haiti for example, fought for freedom from the French centuries ago, but its own internal politics have left it a country where one never really feels safe. Most people live very close to hunger, illness and a relatively short life span. They are enduring, tenacious and hard working, but without an environment that allows their talents to prosper, they struggle to thrive. Some of the Haitian farmers with whom I have worked, would be millionaires if they were living in a place like Hawaii. Like Haiti, the same holds true in places like Guyana, Nicaragua, or Timor.
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 the abundance of a great variety of food crops.
We celebrate this abundance with Mango Festivals, Breadfruit Festivals, and we just finished celebrating 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 many tropical fruits like citrus, mangoes, bananas and avocados, 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.
Check with local nurseries for these fruit trees and more to make your home gardening more fruitful. The University of Hawaii Master Gardeners and Agricultural Extension staff can assist you in the care and maintenance of your fruits and vegetables. The phone number in Hilo is 808 981-5199 and in Kona, call 808 322-4893. Remember, one of the best ways to count our daily blessings is by spending some time in the garden and appreciating the fruits of our efforts.
Norman Bezona is professor emeritus, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
