cashew nuts

My grandmother taught me cashew sorting like Avvaiyar once taught virtue. Each nut earned its place through careful hands, patient wisdom passed down through generations. She'd smile, saying our work honored Tamil tradition, that honest labor brought its own reward beyond coins. Years later, my daughter asked why I still shell cashews by hand. I showed her how the afternoon light caught each kernel, how community gathered around our work table, sharing stories. She understood then—this wasn't just livelihood. It was our heritage speaking, our culture breathing through simple, sacred labor that connected us to something timeless and true.