BitterSweetLife

It’s been a “classic” week. After living in the Greco-Roman world eight hours a day, my mind’s been swimming every night, drenched in the possibilities posed by gladiatorial metaphors, Greek inscriptions and temple architecture.

My brain has foundered in the first-century ocean several times, only to be pushed further under. Marketplace thugs and vicious Cave Canem guard dogs have haunted my dreams, only to be displaced in the morning by limb-severing chariot races and life-long servitude. In terms of blog posts, such inundation is a recipe for few to none.

However, I just experienced a new “first” that begs to be documented. Not even my intellectual duress can keep this under wraps.

BitterSweetLife has been a rewarding experience, and I’ve never (seriously) contested that, but the material returns have been slim to none. If I had to catalog my “profits,” I’d sum them up as:

1 mysterious new age book (with excellent resale value)
1 poppy original CD

However, the list has just changed. You could say it’s been imploded. The new addition overshadows all that have gone before.

BitterSweetLife has just snared me some coffee.

To be precise, 500 grams of Kaleya coffee from Zambia. I’m not sure if it’s shade-grown, organic, or what, but the coarse burlap bag and minimalist tag (no internet reorder link, not even an address!) suggests a primal authenticity. As all coffee aficionados know, Zambian coffee contains the lowest caffeine ratio of any variety, and is thus highly sought after by health nuts and people who prefer not to have red eyes. Excellent stuff. And now I have about two pounds of it to play with.

How did your blog pull this off? you wonder. Well, very craftily. The coffee was given to me by some of Lindsay’s relatives who have been working in various missions projects in Africa for the past year and a half. Last night, when they passed out gifts, Lindsay’s aunt remarked, “We know how much you love coffee!” Aha.

This may seem unremarkable to you, but in context the genius of the blog becomes apparent. At Christmas, these same relatives had sent us presents—sweet African craftsmanship, in fact—but no coffee. And after Christmas they’d been referred to this blog… Now, six months later, a new gift allotment includes the crucial element.

The connection is obvious.

By disseminating vital information about my life—giving it to people in a position to act on it, no less—BitterSweetLife has gone far toward earning its keep in the coming year. I always knew this blog had hidden depths.

When I eventually brew up some Zambian, raise a mug to this blog and begin typing, I’m hoping for auspicious results.