What's In It for You?

I recently had an idea to create a connection between organic farmers and beekeepers in Michigan. There are many beekeepers that want to expand the number of hives they manage but have no place to put them, and there are many farms that don't have bees. Turns out a few other folks had the same idea, so we worked together and created the Healthy Foods Healthy Bees Connection. Farmers and beekeepers can go online and register, and then I play matchmaker. How elegant!

I ran into a coworker in the hall at work and he told me that he shared this with his wife. Her response?  "What does she get out of it?".

I recently began roasting green coffee beans at home. I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner. Now, I am a coffee snob. The difference in taste between fresh roasted and store bought is unbelievable. In my office we have a coffee club, basically you bring in coffee or half and half (if you drink it) once a month or so, and that keeps up stocked up in the beverage. I started bringing in fresh roasted beans.

It was a hit.

I love to roast beans, so I offered to roast beans for the office. Folks would donate a certain amount of money every month and I would order and roast the beans, and keep us stocked up in delicious fresh roasted coffee. This worked for a couple months, then due to office politics it ended. One person said to me, "We so appreciated you bringing in that coffee, but really it was over the top don't you think?"

Over the top.

It dawned on me yesterday that hanging out so long with my Tribal friends has changed me in ways I didn't even notice.  You see, in the Tribal world, everything one does is for the family and the Tribe. It is not about the individual. That is one of the reasons Tribal/family identity and bonds are so strong.

I didn't know how to respond to those two folks mentioned earlier. I really didn't. I created the Healthy Food Healthy Bees Connection to help farmers and beekeepers, people in my community, create healthy good food for all of us to eat. I roasted coffee for my office mates to help make our dreary cubicle government offices a little more pleasant, to help lift our moral. They are my work family.

Mainstream America has a good deal to learn from our Native sisters and brothers. This is one example.