Hope Springs Eternal – Life after the Storm -

Hope Springs Eternal – Life After The Storm

Hope springs eternal in the human breast, Man never is, but always
to be blest.
-Alexander Pope

As I was an English Major, I have been known to take solace in the words and works of the great minds that have wandered this Earth. Of late, Alexander Pope’s words have been ringing in my ears. In the face of disaster and adversity, when you are knocked down, what is that eternal spark that makes one want to get back up and keep on going?

I have seen a lot of it these last few weeks, and I want to understand it.

The Kona Low

March 13th, 2026, it had been raining since the day before, but in a light, steady kind of way. The news was talking about the approaching Kona Low. Kona Lows are unique in that most weather on Hawaii’s Big Island comes from the East, and the volcanoes protect the West Side from the power of the storms (“Kona” in the Hawaiian language means Leeward side). Kona Lows come from the South directly toward the West Coast, and we are not protected as deep pockets of moisture are driven into the islands.

We cancelled work on the 14th, and that day, 11.1 inches of rain fell in about 6 hours. Rainfall total estimates are all over the place based on which gauges were used, but NOAA states that between 25-30 inches of rain fell on the Southwest part of the island (That’s us!) between March 11th and 15th, 2026!! That is about half of our annual rainfall in 5 days! It was biblical. The winds were going crazy as well.

We came by on the 15th to see what had happened, never expecting the devastation before us. At one entrance to the farm, the culvert on the highway was blown out, which caused the water to destroy the Northern access road to the farm. That flash flood, carrying several hundred-pound boulders, flooded a small drainage ditch that wiped out a wooden walking bridge, 2 sections of road, flooded the owners house, tumbling a car into the ravine, destroyed our nursery with almost 35,000 baby coffee grafts inside, carved a path through the farm, went across the bypass road, through the golf resort and into the ocean.

That small drainage ditch, when it was all over, was 25-30 feet wide and 18 feet deep in some places. We’d never seen anything like it, and then something interesting started to occur.

Even though the farm was closed, the staff returned and started moving rocks and digging through the mud. People were bringing shovels and wheelbarrows from home, teams that usually do one thing were now working side by side with other crews and though the scene of destruction reminded me of news pics from Ukraine, day by day it started to improve.

Local restaurants and supplier companies were bringing food to the farm, friends with large machines were lending them to the recovery, local hardware stores were donating painting supplies, and far and wide, warm sentiments of people who had spent time on the farm were pouring in through social media, praying and hoping for a speedy recovery.

May I say at this point, there were no injuries. A couple of close calls, but no injuries. So, the first message out to the staff was, ” It’s a major disaster, the likes of which we have never seen, but at least everyone is ok. Let’s work forward in the spirit of gratitude.” It moved a lot of us.

We had to close for just over two weeks as access to the farm was limited. The first few days, we pitched in where we could, but at some point, it was up to the machines. So, we gathered at the farm and started cleaning and painting, re-printing signs, reorganizing our stuff, discarding junk from days gone by, landscaping, and though it was unspoken, as the team pulled together, doing very physical work, it was understood that this time would be used to make the experience better upon the return of our guests.

Hope Grows

I was reminded that hope is quiet. It is internal. It is contagious. It is a motivation to take steps forward when you can’t clearly see the road ahead. It seems to be there in the darkest of days. If hope springs eternal, from where does it spring?

Many believe it is hardwired into the human DNA as a survival instinct. The perpetuation of the species requires resilience and adaptability to the ever-changing nature of nature.

Some testify to religious or spiritual beliefs that note it is through adversity, it is in the struggle, that the human spirit is most fully realized.

I have heard that hope is a family construct, a means by which friends and family support each other through the various phases of life, and the practice of hope as a general discipline elevates social bonds.

My take.

Hope is a part of healing, whether from physical damage or emotional darkness. It is not optimism; it is not the belief that everything will work out. Hope is a proactive understanding that focused effort in the face of adversity will yield positive results. Hope is small steps, even in pain, knowing that it can lead to running. Even if running is not a guarantee, the practice of hope and the trust that one can create better circumstances are filled with life lessons and interactions that may be the true gems of one’s growth.

I think collective hope also exists. When many individuals come together with that same trust, using all of their various skills and resources to bring about positive recovery and change, we are talking about one of the most powerful forces known throughout history.

Lastly, the perspective of having lived through adversity, recovered, and in many cases been through it multiple times, gives one a wisdom of seeing a longer and larger point of view. That perspective is invaluable to every team and every family, and may be why in many cultures, the elders are so deeply revered. They have seen it all before, and it is not the end of the world. From them, hope flows and the youngsters learn to have faith in the process.

As I sort through my thoughts, as I contemplate this cycle I find myself in, I know this: I have never felt closer to my team than at this moment. I have never been more confident that this farm and company will make a full recovery and be better on the other side.

These things take time, effort and energy, and going through those motions is not always pleasant, but we will be grateful for the journey, mindful of the lessons, cherish the relationships that come into focus during hardship, and when we are far on the other side of this recovery, I know our value as human beings will have risen.

Thank you to all who have reached out by email and social media to wish us well. We truly appreciate you, and we are committed to bringing you the best coffee you have ever had, far into the future.