They gave me flowers || Me regalaron flores

The photo I used on the cover was taken a few months ago. I was out for a walk through the mountains, where I passed through coffee plantations with different ages and degrees of attention. It was the last hours of the day, so I had fun taking several pictures of it in that special light. It was a plant that had flowered at a time when the others around it had not. It attracted a lot of attention from a distance.

Its flower is white, but not pure white. This one was still closed, tender. I suppose it would open in a few days. When it is like this it needs pollination. Others can simply do that job on their own. What type was this one specifically? I don't know. But what I do know is that the farmers around here associate an abundance of flowers with an abundant harvest, so it's in their interest to have them in bloom and to take care of them at that time. So this plant had been getting ready to start producing grain.

Lately the days have been gray and sad. So I resumed my morning walks to help out. While I was getting ready I thought about that photo, and one of the things I wanted to see was those white coffee plantations, as if it had snowed at night. These are days when those plantations look beautiful. However, I was disappointed because it is not that time. Yes, there were some flowers scattered around, and others had already produced grain, they were green. So I didn't take pictures of flowers that day.

However, walking inside that coffee plantation is very beneficial for me. Contemplating the different stages of the coffee tree is a blessing, the flower being one of the first in the process. You know what? I dared to smell them. Yes, some gentlemen may not find it so manly to see another man smell a flower, but I don't care. To me, it has a sweet, fresh scent, perhaps because of the stage the flower was in. Incredible, it seems that from an early age the flower already warns of the flavor that its fruit will have.

But, remember I told you that farmers are worried about protecting these flowers? Well, one of their enemies is heavy rains, since they can knock them off the branch and interrupt the process. On those days, sunny days or days with light rains are preferred. Perhaps that is the function of the large trees which provide shade and shelter for all these plants.

Think about it: all this is in perfect balance. For us to have good grain production there are such delicate and simple things involved as a sensitive flower and a few small drops of water. These are the beginnings of the process, and peculiarly it ends in a similar way, with all those details and cares that baristas master to extract that special beverage, with temperatures, measures, type of grinding, degrees of roasting... incredible.

The flower on the coffee plant is beautiful, pleasing to the eye and to the sense of smell. It provides adequate signals to those who care for it of its state of health and what to expect from its harvest. As it is vulnerable it needs support and care so as not to interrupt the process. We usually hear about the tones and aromas in the cup with coffee served, but I thought it was nice to go into a little detail about this elegant early phase.

So, does this flower have a message? Well, maybe if you gather some and give it to your spouse it's message is not clear, I don't know. But looking at them in their natural state, maybe the message is a little bit clearer. Maybe they are telling you: "Soon you will see an abundance of grain here. This is where the raw material for that drink you like so much is produced. Be patient and let me do my work calmly". What do you think of that message?

I'll keep trying to walk these days in those places, and I'll be prepared to keep seeing how they give me flowers. I think now that we are attributing a message to them it will be more beneficial to receive them. I will not be able to touch them, just contemplate and smell them, but it will be an excellent gift to start the day. Another way to keep coffee in mind in the morning, isn't it?