Chapters Ending and Beginning: Final observations and thoughts from the Cloud Forest at Las Tangaras

Final days as RLT stewards…crazy dreams that I remember after sleeping in a new bed for these last nights. Birds and the River wake me up early. A view of Bosque Ridge covered in mist and clouds greets me, bird song ringing, and small, still, mostly dark shapes flit and fly.

Now, not much time later, blue sky peeks through white fluffy clouds, foretelling a beautiful sunny day.

Sadness, for endings. Happiness, for beginnings. Deep, profound Gratitude for an experience, an adventure, a Dream fuffilled.

Change, Movement, Growth.

Thank you to the Jungle, to RLT, to the Birds, to Rio Nambillo, to all the people we met here; those who’s lives crossed briefly with ours for early mornings at the ACOR lek and those who we developed closeness with during our weekly visits to town.

Words never quite seem sufficient to capture feelings, experiences, like this one. How could they? Yet I try. How could these words sufficiently describe and convey my feelings as I sit on the porch, watching the sun rise, it’s light hitting the opposite ridge? Or how the focus of the moment shifts as the local Rufous Motmot swoops down suddenly to grab a morning snack?

And I think that moment, as I sit, is part of the beauty here; there is always something new to experience, something spontaneous and beautiful, something unexpected, exciting, inspiring.

And this is something we have been shown during our time here, a lesson we didn’t know we needed a refresher on: Pay attention, look for beauty, be open to new things that may happen. Whether it’s a cool bird (it usually is), or an unexpected friend, or a job in the jungle, there is always something new to experience, something spontaneous and beautiful, something unexpected, exciting, inspiring. We just have to be open to experiencing it.