In tune with June

June in Trinidad and Tobago is the height of the mango season. This juicy, succulent, colourful, nutritious fruit is available in great numbers, almost everywhere. Most locals will know the term ‘pot tu’n dong’ when referring to mango season. Who wants to, or needs to cook when mangoes are aplenty? I vividly remember going on ‘mango hunting’ expeditions as a child. My sister and I would forage for the tantalizing fruit in, and under, the dozens of trees near our home – Rose, Julie, Doo-Doos, Vert, Calabash, Starch, Long, Sousaint Matin, and others with names I never knew, and didn’t really care to know. All that was important was to sink my teeth into the thick, yielding, sweet flesh of mango after mango. And then there was the ‘mango chow’ – the ‘hotter’ the better.  Mango chow was made with the diced green or ‘young’ mango, a generous amount of salt, black pepper, and entire scotch bonnet peppers or ‘pepper sauce’ made from them. ‘Bird’ peppers were also favoured for mango chow, and many a neighbour’s bird pepper trees were raided in our pursuit to make our spicy treat (I think the adventure of sneaking into backyards to ‘retrieve’ bird peppers made the chow taste even better).

As fondly as I remember June as mango season, I also like to see it as an achievement marker, and a time of fresh starts. By this time, half the year is almost gone, so it presents a good time to reflect on what you’ve achieved or not achieved of the goals you set for yourself back in January – and, if you’re not satisfied with your results up to June, there is the opportunity to make a new resolve to get something done over the next six months, up to December.

So, what has June brought for you? A halfway mark on positively achieving your year’s goals? Disappointment that you’re not on track? Well, whatever the situation, you’re at the right place – take June month as the time to start over. And remember, the race is not (always) for the swiftest.

Take care.

Charms.