Independence and interdependence

My favorite night of the year in Costa Rica is upon us. It will look very different in 2020, to be sure. No festive parades of children holding lanterns, although I’m sure many families will recreate the tradition alone or gather in spaced-out groups. No crowds following the path of the symbolic torch as alternating athletes carry it south from Guatemala. No impromptu choirs standing shoulder-to-shoulder to sing our anthems at 6 pm.

My faroles on this Independence Day weekend were the fireflies at Tapir Valley in the hills of Bijagua. My antorcha was the powerful flashlight that owner and guide Donald Varela Soto used to showcase the animals he spots in the dark as if by magic, drawing on his knowledge of every inch of the vast terrain. Instead of feeling a rush of excitement as a runner streaks by en route to Cartago, leaving a blaze of firelight behind, my thrill this year came when I got to see a tapir in the wild for the very first time.

I walked the paths that night alongside a group of visitors, masked and distanced, cautious and excited. We were led by Donald and his family, who have preserved and reforested Tapir Valley through their hard work and grit. They made sure we were in the right place under the fruit trees deep in the reserve when a female danta came snuffling along for a snack. It was breathtaking, quite literally.

Famously calm, the tapir ate her meal just down the path, as naturally as if she were a cow and we her farmhands. But we weren’t. We were awed humans in the presence of an animal who maintains the biodiversity of the forest by spreading fruit seeds. An animal that has been hunted and endangered by development, but who, thanks to the respect and protection of people such as the Familia Varela Kelly, have slowly, carefully begun to venture further down the mountains.

Later in the evening, Donald told us how decades of environmental education and the slow growth of ecotourism in this northern Costa Rican community have had a visible, positive impact on the wildlife in the area. Seeing a tapir, he explained, used to be a rare experience. Today, hardly a day passes when a farmer or guide doesn’t spot one. This doesn’t mean the challenges are over: this majestic animal draws more tourism, requiring local leaders to maintain the right balance between growth and conservation. But the prevalance of the tapir in Bijagua today is a marker of what a community can achieve.

Donald didn’t mention the pandemic that closed down Costa Rica’s tourism industry in March. However, it was a presence in the conversation, lurking just outside the circle of light cast by our headlamps. While the country is now reopening, the crisis cut off the income of hard-working ecotourism leaders on whom we depend to preserve places like Tapir Valley. Next month, I’ll post a story here about an effort to support the efforts of Northern Zone environmental champions.

Costa Rica is beloved around the world for both its people and its wildlife. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the start of our bicentennial year than by honoring the connection between the two. Amidst the fireflies and the frog songs of the Costa Rican night, they stand watch. Against the odds, they live their lives among the interdependence that, perhaps, we will not now forget so quickly.

Featured image by Mónica Quesada Cordero. Read more about Tapir Valley Nature Reserve here. And stay tuned for the big announcement tomorrow of a new project – inspired, in part, by the hard work and leadership of rural tourism entrepreneurs!

 

Goodnight from Costa Rica

Yes, this is one of those “all I can muster is a lovely photo” days. But what a photo, by David Havel via Shutterstock.

Wishing you rest, and comfort in the knowledge that the birds are resting and the bats are fluttering and the flowers will be waiting for us tomorrow, just the same.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or FacebookIf you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.

If this is your facial expression today, be proud

This week was nuts: in U.S. news, in Costa Rican news, and even in my house. A certain Very Big Girl went off to first grade with all the fanfare, nerves, and “Oh my God, Mom, no more PICTURES!” that such a milestone implies.

So at the end of it all, this is the facial expression I’m wearing. And you know what? That’s good. Our capacity to be shocked, horrified and disappointed by current events is something to be valued. It means we still expect something better. And what we expect, we tend to get – or so I heard somewhere.

Wear that gobsmacked facial expression with pride, cry into a cocktail over the state of our political lives if you want to, and maybe disconnect a bit this weekend. Or climb onto a tree branch and let loose with your best howler-monkey-inspired roar. We’re still alive. Still feeling something. When we don’t care and don’t even have the energy to throw our poop at each other anymore – that’s when we’re really in trouble.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

Meet Sol the sloth – and her amazing caregivers

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to meet a very resilient baby sloth and celebrate her rescuers – and to remind you to call 911 if you see a sloth on a power line, or any other animal in distress. (There are different entities in different parts of the country that assist authorities with animal rescue, but what I’ve been told is that if you simply call 911 no matter where you are, they’ll know how to coordinate in your area.)

The Toucan Rescue Ranch writes:

Sol’s mother was fatally killed due to electrocution. Her mother likely was using power lines to move across fragmented canopy when she was zapped and fell to the ground. Sadly, when rescuers found her mother, she was likely killed instantly. Fortunately, Sol was still hanging on, alive.

Sol was quickly recovered from MINAE (wildlife police) and brought to the Toucan Rescue Ranch clinic for examination. It was soon discovered that Sol received some of the shock and had a limp arm as a result. Our vet staff made a quick decision to amputate to avoid further infection.

Thanks to our amazing vet team, the surgery went extremely well. Sol quickly woke from anesthesia and proved to be a survivor. She is still in critical care and in the sloth nursery. She has become pals with Luna, another three-fingered sloth in our care. Both will go through the Saving Sloths Together program where they will be provided 24/hour care and a rehabilitation and liberation plan, which will hopefully result in a life #backinthetrees, once old enough!

Support Sol by donating to our medical costs http://bit.ly/donatetotrr

Thank you, Toucan Rescue Ranch, for all you do! Here’s a video about Sol:

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

Day 55: Happy Slow Friday

What do you say? Shall we make this a thing?

If there were ever a day made, NOT for shopping or rushing, but for contemplating one’s navel, it’s today. If there were ever a day when we might realistically pull bits of food out of our hair like a sloth, it’s the day after Thanksgiving.

As Black Friday becomes nuttier and nuttier, I say we make this day a holiday for conservation in both the virtuous and the fun senses of the word: conserving not only financial and material resources, but also energy. Like, let’s move as slowly as possible. Carefully click the remote to watch “Elf” – you don’t want to sprain a finger. Ease ourself from one soft surface to another. Turn our heads at the pace of the tortoise from “Kung Fu Panda” as we crane to gaze out the window.

Gaze. We should gaze quite a bit today. And we should, like this sloth, watch the world go by. That’s something my dad used to say. He loved to pull up a chair on a porch or lawn, find himself a cup of coffee or bottle of beer, and say, “I’m just going to sit here, watching the world go by.”

It’s a dying art, but we can rescue it. The Turkey Trots have been run. The big dinner has been pulled off with a flourish. The sweatpants are stretchy. Our books and windows and ceilings have been missing us. Calls not to spend money on Black Friday can sound restrictive; I think the marketing would be sexier if they focused on the utter decadence of inaction. (My mouth is literally watering at the thought. What does that mean, when your mouth waters at the thought of doing nothing?)

Let’s make this sloth, high above the crowds, oblivious to long lines, our spirit animal for today. I think that Slow Friday, at least in my mind, might be here to stay.

Here’s this week’s recap:

Monday Motivation: An oxcart bonanza.

Tuesday Beauty: Taking life one butterfly hour at a time.

Wildlife Wednesday: One of the most incredible sea turtle videos ever shot.

Thanksgiving: A TBT to an essay on slang, gratitude and the oddities of language.

Have a great weekend!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

 

Day 53: Drop everything and watch this video

National Geographic this week shared an astonishing video shot in November 2016 in Ostional, Costa Rica, by biologist and conservation leader Vanessa Bezy.

“To this day I’m still blown away by the video,” Bezy told National Geographic, and I can see why. This is more of a Wildlife Wednesday than my usual wellness theme, but I think this video fits the bill for both: I sat up straighter, breathed deeper and felt an incredible sense of awe when I saw this. Not a bad way to spend one minute nine seconds.

Check out the NatGeo story for more on how she came to shoot this video, just how unusual it is, and what threats Ostional is facing.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

 

Day 52: One butterfly hour at a time

Good morning! Today I’m all out of words, so in honor of Tuesday Beauty, here is the most gorgeous thing I can think of. Whenever I spot it, usually through the trees, it really does take my breath away. It’s one of the world’s largest butterflies and certainly one of the most spectacular, thanks to the microscopic, light-reflecting scales on its wings.

According to the Rainforest Alliance, it lives for only 115 days. Math isn’t my strong suit, but after a little Post-It scribbling I’ve concluded that an hour for us is about 13 seconds for a Blue Morpho butterfly.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes at this time of year I get a little overwhelmed by everything that’s coming down the pike, especially the reckoning of the year past and the future planning I always feel compelled to do. Maybe it’d be better if I took thing one Blue Morpho hour at a time.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

Day 49: When I look down I just miss all the good stuff

Any Ani Difranco fans out there? One of my favorite lines of hers, and there are a lot, is: “When I look down, I just miss all the good stuff, and when I look up, I just trip over things.”

It’s so true, and particularly in San José – where looking up too much means you have an unusually high likelihood of falling down a manhole, never to be heard from again.

But this morning I was walking on a path just ten feet from my porch and happened to look straight up, and realized that I was standing directly underneath a spider city. I counted 12 webs, some tiny, some massive, unbelievably intricate. It was a spot I have walked under approximately 100 times in the past few months, and never once did I notice that an entire soccer team of spiders was laboring right overhead, creating masterpieces.

It was the second time in less than 24 hours that nature had smacked me in the face, right in the middle of city: as I was having coffee yesterday, a glorious motmot came hopping right up to my outside table. We locked eyes for what was probably 20 seconds but felt like an hour. Having breathlessly surveyed this spectacular bird from varying distances for years, this up-close interaction felt like having a movie star sit down at my table with me. Can you imagine if I had been so stuck to my phone or computer that I had missed this altogether? Add a little more stress or a tight deadline to the scene, and I could have. Easily.

If you can do it today, look somewhere weird. Straight up the trunk of your favorite tree. Straight down from your office window. Find some angle that’s strange or unusual. As the things that draw our attention away from our surroundings grow ever more shiny and exciting and ubiquitous, the joy that comes from a sudden surprise discovery grows ever sharper.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

 

Day 45: Women at the forefront

Movimiento Guardianes de la Naturaleza logo

Here is what Jessica Sheffield, an incredible Costa Rican leader in environmental education and the creator of the Guardians of Nature Movement, had to say yesterday in La Voz de Guanacaste about women’s leadership at this beyond critical moment in the history of our planet. This translation is excerpted from Jessica’s Facebook page:

Women play an essential role in the conservation of our natural resources. We are leaders with the potential to achieve a critical transformation in the protection of nature, ensuring the well-being of our communities and the planet.

In Costa Rica, a large number of women are leading initiatives that are transforming society. Christiana Figueres promoted the Paris agreement on climate change; Karla Chaves Brenes leads the Latin American recycling program ecoins; Alejandra Monge-Jiménez directs the Corcovado Foundation, which protects the Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet; Zdenka Piskulich is the force behind Costa Rica Por Siempre, one of the most consolidated conservation NGOs in the country. There are many other prominent Costa Ricans achieving change through their leadership initiatives.

Our formal education, especially during the early childhood years, is mostly led by women. During my three years directing Guardians of Nature, I have noticed the extraordinary power that teachers have, inspiring and educating a new generation of children, the guardians of our natural resources. Given the necessary tools and resources, teachers will educate present and future generations about the need to live in peace with nature.

Costa Rican women have leadership roles in our homes as well. Even though times have changed, many of us still take care of our children’s food, select products that benefit their health and the environment, and educate the family about the proper use of resources. Above all, we are an essential force and engine in the marketplace with the ability to influence the supply of products and services through our own consumption.

…I am confident that, little by little, there will be many more guardians of nature, women who exert great influence from their homes, jobs and social circles. Thank you to all the girls, moms, and professionals who make this difference every day.

Amen!

And on that uplifting note, here is a recap of this week’s posts:

Monday Motivation: An anniversary that celebrates Costa Rica’s elementary schools!

Tuesday Beauty: An artist whose social media feeds make me smile.

Wellness Wednesday: The curse of multitasking.

Travel Thursday: The one thing every visitor to Costa Rica must pack.

Bonus: Over at Poems on Demand, I tried my hand at a sonnet. Shakespeare may be agitating just slightly in his grave, but it was fun. You can see it and my other poems here.

Have a wonderful weekend and wish me luck (more about that on Monday!).

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter).