This beautiful Sunday morning I allow nature to wake me with the sunrise and sounds of a variety of birds in the trees around my casita. I eventually walk out on the terrace to witness the golden glow of distant hills around Atenas as the sun rises and I feel the refreshing cool morning air enter my lungs. I scan the trees and flowers for any creature stirring and then I prepare my breakfast to eat on the terrace, absorbing more of God’s natural beauty.
“The true blessings of life are the treasures hidden in the reservoirs of the human heart.”
~T. D. Jakes
Let me tell you about more heart treasures including a big new one coming this week . . .
Back in 2014 I made the most life-changing decision of my now 81 years, while praying Merton’s Prayer of Abandonment (in 2014 blog post), finalizing my move from Nashville to Costa Rica and entered this tranquil little farm town on a foggy Christmas Eve after dark, beginning a new life “Retired in Costa Rica,” surrounded by nature that I have almost constantly written about on this blog. Never have I been closer to God nor happier nor more contented than in these nearly 7 years of nature and thus the presence of God. And much of that has come from traveling to the enumerable “Shangri-La’s” all over Costa Rica as seen in my CR Trips Gallery! It is my collection of “Heart Treasures.” 🙂
Now after the many new blessings of beating cancer with two surgeries, a powerful radiation treatment of 7 weeks, (See the book: True Grit, My CANCER Adventure), I’m slowly recovering from radiation side effects and anticipating my next big nature adventure! Coming this Thursday! 🙂
Yes! In just four days I’ll be landing in a small plane at Puerto Jiménez (above) and traveling by taxi southwest to the southern-most tip of the Osa Peninsula Rainforest at Cabo Matapalo village for 6 nights at Bosque del Cabo Rainforest Lodge . . .
. . . in a cabin overlooking both Pacific Ocean and Golfo Dulce, the meeting point of whales & Scarlet Macaws in what may be the most wildlife rich rainforest in the world: to hike many trails, to photograph birds – other wildlife – waterfalls – a beautiful beach – plus who knows what from my cabin deck! Talk about blessings! A lot of new “heart treasures” coming this week! 🙂
And this is just one of many such fabulous places I get to regularly visit in Costa Rica! Each photo from each nature place is a true “treasure hidden in my heart,” as you can see in my CR Trips Galleries! 🙂
“The true blessings of life are the treasures hidden in the reservoirs of the human heart.”
~T. D. Jakes
¡Pura Vida!
My 3 Earlier Osa Peninsula Trips:
- 2018 – Dante Corcovado Lodge at NP Los Patos Ranger Station (East)
- 2017 – Aguila de Osa Lodge, Drake Bay at Corcovado NP (North)
- 2009 – Luna Lodge & Lookout Inn at Carate & Corcovado NP (West)
- Note that I do not plan on going into the NP on this trip, though close. (This lodge is South of Corcovado NP outside the park as are all the lodges.)
🙂
I like the phrase ‘heart treasures’ – I have many from nature! Lately, the best are coming from helping to change the circumstances of a few local folks whose lives were damaged by the pandemic. But I also plan on whale-watching trip to Drake Bay in August!
Deborah, yes, “heart treasures” come in many different ways as our bank of memories grows and I’m so happy to hear about you helping someone hurt by the pandemic! AND whale-watching in Drake Bay! How super! I love Drake Bay and one of my top tier lodges that is there, Aguila de Osa Lodge, that I highly recommend! Be sure to report to me or publicly somehow about your trip! https://aguiladeosa.com/
Awesome news that you feel recovered enough to start a new nature adventure ! ?
Thanks Steve! I do feel good enough to travel, though I’m a little nervous about what I can eat – and this trip will be the big test there!
You have waited for and looked forward to this special trip for a long time. I think I am almost as happy as you to see the time for it here. You’ve had many wonderful adventures since moving to Costa Rica but something tells me this will be one of the best. Enjoy! Pura Vida!
Thanks Bonnie! And you are right, this is probably going to be one of the best! Websites can be misleading, but there are a lot of things I know I will like about this new place for me! I’ll start blogging once a night from there beginning Thursday night, IF their internet works! 🙂
So happy you are going to be able to make this trip. It clearly has been a long awaited pleasure. Hope that it more than meets your dreams of it. Safe travels.
¡Muchas gracias Mary! It will meet many of my expectations and as the first trip since February it will get me back into my routine of a trip every two months for a fuller immersion into nature than my garden or local walks provide! 🙂 Plus this particular location, Osa Peninsula, is what National Geographic labeled as “one of the most biologically diverse rainforests in the world.” Lots to photograph! 🙂