It’s December, and although I love the holidays, I have really begun to dread the cold!

We were lucky enough to leave on the tails of a snow storm coming into Philadelphia to begin our 2 week vacation to Costa Rica.

Neither Sam nor I have ever been before, so we wanted to check it out- maybe, just maybe we would find a place we fell in love with and begin to live a bit differently over the winters!

Costa Rica is home to such diverse flora and fauna and the country boasts about its eco- tourism. We are currently on the Pacific Coast and it’s hot here, but not unbearable. We walk through jungles, rainforests and end up on pristine beaches- not bad!!

In fact, these are some of the best ” spa days” I have had in a long time! Being fully immersed in nature is a from of forest bathing- the phenomenon of reconnecting with nature in order to heal- Pretty sad that we lost the connection in the first place, huh?!

Today, we went to Rainmaker, the first aerial walkway through the forest canopy in Central America. There are spectacular views of primary and secondary rainforests and vistas of the Pacific Ocean. We didn’t see much wildlife, save a few hummingbirds, butterflies, spiders and lizards. (Thankfully, we didn’t see any snakes!!) But, being up in the trees, surrounded by all of the lush green colors, one cannot help but feel great! And connected, and insignificant all at the same time!

So far, this trip is validating what I have held as truths for a long time:

• We are all connected- there is no way around this- there is no separateness. We are meant to live among diverse ecosystems
• We are insignificant- standing next to a tree that is over 100 feet tall and God knows how many years old, you suddenly realize that our time here on this planet is a blip
• We always find the answers we need
• The earth speaks to us, we just need to listen
• It is our responsibility to live in symphony with nature, not dominate it

Here’s a picture as we are winding back down toward the rushing waters.

Wishing you all connection, joy, peace and love this holiday season!