Las Pintas: A Tico Farmer's Alamac

One of the traditions I have come to love about coffee farmers here in Costa Rica is what’s called ”Las Pintas". They use the first 12 days of January to predict, or literally “paint” (pintar), the Costa Rican weather for the rest of the year. For instance, if it rains on the third of January, the third month of the year (March) will have rain.

Does it work?  Not sure…but they are not the only farmers to use traditions like this to predict the weather.  Back home in my neck of the woods, old timers will put a bean in a jar for every foggy morning in August to predict the number of days we will have snow during the winter season.

You see, we all want to understand what is to come so that we can manage expectations.  The problem, like forecasting the weather,  is that we believe one thing will happen when in reality it usually is the opposite. 

I feel this universal truth also applies to me and “what’s next for BGB”.

So far, my efforts to get the business back up and running have been a “two steps forward and three steps backwards” exercise in patience and endurance. I have tried to be faithful in the little, and I thought for sure that I would be up and running in December.  However, production delays set back the arrival of the new roaster.

Am I disappointed?  Yes.  Am I frustrated?  Of course. Yet, as one friend gently reminded me, setbacks are part of the journey.  After reflecting upon this I realized that my issue isn't with over coming obstacles, but rather with managing my expectations.  So, what is the key to being let down gently?  Focus on what is hand because tomorrow will bring it's own worries.

Cheers!