Life Lessons from Costa Rica: The Power of Nature
The kids and I are being driven towards the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica by our guide, Constantino, who is a cherubic, sweet-natured native of Greek ancestry. Of the many wonders we have experienced in this magnificent country, Constantino just might be my favorite. His deep respect and love of nature comes across in his every word and glance. During the four days that we will spend together, he is continually pointing out and teaching us about the abundant nature and its wonders in his country.
This morning, as we drive towards the Volcano, we are on our way to do a canopy tour of the rainforest via zip lines that place us over 600 feet above the ground! Constantino softly implores us to "see the forest from an entirely different perspective", that of the monkeys and other creatures who live in the canopy above the dense forest. He explains to us that being on top of the rainforest is entirely different from walking through it and there are many lessons to be gleaned from the experience.
His comments strike me profoundly as in my work as a Life Coach, we are always looking at our perspectives on life and how they can radically alter our life experience. Changing the way we look at things offers not only a different viewpoint but a powerful tool for creating change in our lives. So I look at the rainforest from the monkey's perspective. The view from the top offers me not only grand vistas of the dense trees protecting the ecosystem below, but also opens me up to new and different species of life that do not exist on the forest's floor. It is truly a very different world from up here.
I can look at the howler monkeys at the same eye level versus craning my neck to see them... as well as the the multitude of birds that reside here. Like the monkeys and birds, I experience the thrill of flying through the canopy on the zip lines that take me from one platform to the next. Constantino was right.
Another story that Constantino told the kids and I was about an oxcart. In Costa Rica the oxcart holds sentimental value as that was the mode of transportation of goods in the olden days. This story tells about a father and his son walking through the forest when they hear a racket. The boy asks what the noise might be and the Father answers that it is an empty oxcart. How can he know that the cart is empty? The extreme loudness means that there is nothing in the cart to absorb the rolling of the cart over the bumpy road and isn't that like humans? Sometimes a person will make a lot of noise to cover emptiness inside.
Do you believe this guy? Constantino picked us up at our hotel on the Pacific coast ( another story to come) and drove us to Arenal and then on to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. We were together for four days. In that time together, he pointed out all the wonders of the adundant nature in his country, explaining in loving detail about trees, plants, geography, weather, wildlife and how it all relates to life. His mantra was always that nature has more lessons for us o how to live than anything else. Observe nature deeply and learn how to navigate life in general. Our experience of Costa Rica was transformed from a simple visit to one of adventure, exploration, revelation and knowledge.
What else did we see and do in Costa Rica? Let's see: a butterfly farm, a ride in a small airplane to the majestic Pacific coast, iguanas, toucans, parrots, gray and white hawks, outrigger canoeing in the bay, howler monkeys, ant hills the size of a small city, sloths, huge sea turtles, a gray humpback whale with her two babies, scuba diving and the sight of a 150 pound grouper, deep sea fishing and the joy of cooking and eating our catch within the hour, flying stingrays, views of the coast from our hotel perched on a cliff hundreds of feet above the sea, birds, birds, birds, a view of one of Costa Rica's eleven active volcanoes early in the morning, zip-lining through the rainforest, walking down to a fabulous waterfall, hiking via hanging bridges, totally wild horseback riding through the mountains of the cloud forest and spotting a coyote asleep in a tree, a tarantula...
And incredible coincidences or twists of fate. As I was signing into our trip through the canopies, I noticed another guest's signature and the name Leibtag, which was the name of my late Rabbi who was with me from the time I was born until my wedding where he officiated. As we climbed the mountain in our sky tram car, I introduced myself to the woman next to me and of course, she was the Leibtag whose name I had noticed. Did she know a Rabbi Abraham Leibtag by any chance? Yes, that was her Uncle! Then followed a conversation full of beautiful memories of those times. Amazing, yes?
It doesn't end there. As the kids ( my son Jake who is 17 nd my daughter Sylvie who is 13) and I were hiking in the forest near Arenal, we turned a bend only to hear someone shout my name! In the middle of the depths of the Costa Rican rainforest no less. It was my friend Sara Jane from New Jersey and her entire family! Costa Rica and I definateley have something going on and I plan to honor that connection with another visit soon.
More on Costa Rica to come....
This morning, as we drive towards the Volcano, we are on our way to do a canopy tour of the rainforest via zip lines that place us over 600 feet above the ground! Constantino softly implores us to "see the forest from an entirely different perspective", that of the monkeys and other creatures who live in the canopy above the dense forest. He explains to us that being on top of the rainforest is entirely different from walking through it and there are many lessons to be gleaned from the experience.
His comments strike me profoundly as in my work as a Life Coach, we are always looking at our perspectives on life and how they can radically alter our life experience. Changing the way we look at things offers not only a different viewpoint but a powerful tool for creating change in our lives. So I look at the rainforest from the monkey's perspective. The view from the top offers me not only grand vistas of the dense trees protecting the ecosystem below, but also opens me up to new and different species of life that do not exist on the forest's floor. It is truly a very different world from up here.
I can look at the howler monkeys at the same eye level versus craning my neck to see them... as well as the the multitude of birds that reside here. Like the monkeys and birds, I experience the thrill of flying through the canopy on the zip lines that take me from one platform to the next. Constantino was right.
Another story that Constantino told the kids and I was about an oxcart. In Costa Rica the oxcart holds sentimental value as that was the mode of transportation of goods in the olden days. This story tells about a father and his son walking through the forest when they hear a racket. The boy asks what the noise might be and the Father answers that it is an empty oxcart. How can he know that the cart is empty? The extreme loudness means that there is nothing in the cart to absorb the rolling of the cart over the bumpy road and isn't that like humans? Sometimes a person will make a lot of noise to cover emptiness inside.
Do you believe this guy? Constantino picked us up at our hotel on the Pacific coast ( another story to come) and drove us to Arenal and then on to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. We were together for four days. In that time together, he pointed out all the wonders of the adundant nature in his country, explaining in loving detail about trees, plants, geography, weather, wildlife and how it all relates to life. His mantra was always that nature has more lessons for us o how to live than anything else. Observe nature deeply and learn how to navigate life in general. Our experience of Costa Rica was transformed from a simple visit to one of adventure, exploration, revelation and knowledge.
What else did we see and do in Costa Rica? Let's see: a butterfly farm, a ride in a small airplane to the majestic Pacific coast, iguanas, toucans, parrots, gray and white hawks, outrigger canoeing in the bay, howler monkeys, ant hills the size of a small city, sloths, huge sea turtles, a gray humpback whale with her two babies, scuba diving and the sight of a 150 pound grouper, deep sea fishing and the joy of cooking and eating our catch within the hour, flying stingrays, views of the coast from our hotel perched on a cliff hundreds of feet above the sea, birds, birds, birds, a view of one of Costa Rica's eleven active volcanoes early in the morning, zip-lining through the rainforest, walking down to a fabulous waterfall, hiking via hanging bridges, totally wild horseback riding through the mountains of the cloud forest and spotting a coyote asleep in a tree, a tarantula...
And incredible coincidences or twists of fate. As I was signing into our trip through the canopies, I noticed another guest's signature and the name Leibtag, which was the name of my late Rabbi who was with me from the time I was born until my wedding where he officiated. As we climbed the mountain in our sky tram car, I introduced myself to the woman next to me and of course, she was the Leibtag whose name I had noticed. Did she know a Rabbi Abraham Leibtag by any chance? Yes, that was her Uncle! Then followed a conversation full of beautiful memories of those times. Amazing, yes?
It doesn't end there. As the kids ( my son Jake who is 17 nd my daughter Sylvie who is 13) and I were hiking in the forest near Arenal, we turned a bend only to hear someone shout my name! In the middle of the depths of the Costa Rican rainforest no less. It was my friend Sara Jane from New Jersey and her entire family! Costa Rica and I definateley have something going on and I plan to honor that connection with another visit soon.
More on Costa Rica to come....
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