Tis the season

At the beach yesterday, a man came by selling coconuts. It was funny because just last week I was looking through my old photos and found some pictures of this man from almost exactly a year ago.

He was also selling coconuts then, at a different beach spot, and I bought one from him (and snapped the below photos).

Now that I'm in my second year I can recognize patterns to life here. Mangoes and avocados are in abundance in August, and coconuts start to show up around Christmas. Got it.

This is one of those cultural nuances that make Grenada different from home. Fresh fruit is to be enjoyed in season. It's the kind of thing that annoyed me when I first got here.

But on further reflection, it is actually strange how we hyper-consuming Americans have altered the natural state of things so that we have no concept of local, seasonal fruit.

I'm not going to lie, I am disappointed the mangoes and avocados are over. If they were shipped in from some other part of the world I would probably buy them. But watching the fruit come and go makes me appreciate nature's cycles and is a healthy exercise in patience.

We are not always entitled to everything, all the time, just when we want it. Sometimes a tough lesson for an American girl to learn. I better enjoy the coconuts while I can.

Coconuts for sale

One expert flick of the wrist..
Viola! A fresh beach snack