Blossoming Macadamia Trees and Something That Makes Sense

Another spring morning: the macadamia trees are adorned with blossoms that dangle like unclasped bracelets, and the cows sound particularly rowdy -- who knew they had such a varied vocabulary?

Speaking of language (not that I actually was) there's a terrific article in the New Yorker this week, "The Interpreter" by John Colapinto, that explores the relationship between culture and language; it focuses on an unusual Amazonian tribe called the Piraha, hunter-gatherers whose culture has resisted change for thousands of years and who appear to perceive the world only in a present tense kind of immediacy. It's absolutely fascinating.

But I digress. And it's just as well, because frankly, my own thoughts have not been very entertaining lately. I realize that my life often sounds like a Boomer cliche, but I'm going through what is proving to be an unexpectedly challenging transition: I've recently "retired" (for lack of a better term) and I'm still trying to figure out this new phase (more about all this another time -- I've discovered that it is of interest to my peers).

In the meantime, I've been having trouble sleeping, which may be just a characteristic of my age but certainly warps my perspective. Three a.m. has become the dreaded hour of personal accountability, self-flagellation, and diffuse anxiety, and I am turning into a hard core brooder, though it's difficult not to, with the world as it is.

"Poor Nations Bear the Brunt As World Warms" read a recent headline. Yikes. Better leave it at that lest this lead me into a rant about the arrogance of the current administration and other topics that quickly spiral downward into hand-wringing despair. I might indulge myself now and then, but I would prefer to search for reasons to be hopeful and maybe even manage to hang on to my endangered sense of humor.

Here's one recently encountered tonic: Kiva.org., an organization that offers listings of specific entrepeneurs in developing countries who have applied for small loans. You select a business (or several) that you'd like to help, and you lend $25 or more, thereby becoming an investor in the enterprise of people who are trying to lift themselves out of poverty through their own hard work.

These are folks who are not asking for charity but rather for a little jump start in order to become self-sustaining. (It reminds me of the old adage -- Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.) Monte and I spent quite a while browsing before we made our choices. There are individuals who, for example, need inventory for small shops; shelters and stands to market goods; capital to expand existing businesses; farming equipment, livestock, or seeds. The stories are inspiring, the list is constantly being updated, and the loans are almost always completely repaid.

We feel honored and humbled that we could assist a widow in Cambodia who is raising chickens, provide some funds to a man starting a bicycle repair business in Afghanistan, and help back a barber shop in Azerbaijan. If our loans are repaid, we plan to simply reinvest. If they are not, we still feel good about demonstrating our faith in the dreams and labor of people in faraway countries. It makes the world feel smaller...in a good way. Another bonus is seeing who your fellow investors are in each enterprise. You become part of a community of everyday people who are contributing toward constructive endeavor and expanding the boundaries of their own lives.

It's something that makes sense.