1/28/18
Today, is my 37th birthday. I woke up to rain hitting the roof of my
cabana in the Costa Rican rainforest.
I’m supposed to go for a hike in a couple of hours, and later, I will
zipline for the first time. After
ziplining, I’m going to do a mudbath and massage. All of these things are new to me (except the
massage), and I would not want do them normally. This is my year of stepping out of the box
and doing things that make me uncomfortable.
I will walk into my fears and discomfort, and do IT anyway. I am grateful to God for all that I’ve
experienced so far, and I know that there is even more in store for me.
On my half birthday, July 28, 2017, I declared that would
not be alone on my birthday. Although I
didn’t have a travel companion, I met a couple at the resort, and we’ve been
hanging out together. It didn’t manifest
the way that I expected, but I still received the companionship that I desired.
I am enjoying the natural beauty all around me. I know that the same God that created the
rain, the volcano, the flowers and plants, animals, butterflies, hot springs,
etc. also created beauty within me, I
radiate the beauty and light of God.
1/29/18
Today, is my last full day in Costa Rica. I woke up the sound of the rain pounding on
the roof and the birds chirping in the distance. It has been the same ritual for the past 4
days. I fall asleep early (before
10pm). Rain pours down every night, and
I am awakened by its clamor on the roof in the middle of the night and each
morning between 6 and 6:30am. The
workers said it’s the same every day of the year. Thus, the term rain forest. It rains off and on throughout the morning
and then stops midday for the sun to make an appearance for a few hours. I painted my toenails with a polish that
changes colors in the sun, but I haven’t seen much of the color transition
since I’ve arrived. If sunbathing was my
top priority for coming here, I would be deeply disappointed. However, since it wasn’t, I’m enjoying the
rhythm of the rain and how it bookends each day.
The level of rain determines the activities for the day
too. For example, the plan was to go
tubing with a couple that I met the day before my birthday, but the river was
too high that day. Yesterday, I was
supposed to zipline (canopy), but a limb fell on one of the cables during the
rain, so ziplining was canceled that day.
I went tubing instead, and that was an adventure I was not prepared to
do. My idea of tubing was floating
peacefully in the water, like the Lazy River at Wet n’ Wild. The water was rough, and there were big rocks
all along the course. I flipped off the
tube so many times I lost count. No
wonder they gave us kneepads, elbow pads, a helmet, and of course a life
jacket. We also had to sign a liability
waiver before we started. That should
have been a red flag. I walked away with
my adrenaline pumping and bruises covering my hips, legs, and butt from hitting
so many rocks. After that adventure, I returned to the resort to prepare for an afternoon massage
appointment.
I ate a small lunch after tubing and still had some time to
kill before going to the spa. I decided
to go to the natural sauna and mudbath while I waited. The natural sauna is a small wooded shed with
an open floor sitting over a hot spring.
The resort recommends staying in the sauna for 15 minutes to relax and
open the pores before stepping out to apply the mineral-rich volcanic mud all
over your body. After the mud dries,
then you wash it off in the outside showers that flow back into the spring. I followed the instructions, and I found the
sunniest space in the clearing to stand and allow the mud to dry. I did a few sun salutations and other yoga
poses while I waited on the mud to dry.
After I washed off the mud, I hurried to the spa for my birthday
massage. I signed up for the Swedish
massage, although in hindsight, I probably should have done the deep tissue
massage instead.
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