Costa Rican Recovery
(Reposted from the Love Without Traffic blog 5/7/24)
When we experience injuries, the first thought that comes to mind is generally not, “Wow, I wonder what my body is trying to communicate, and how this might lead to something amazing!” But our bodies hold infinite wisdom and can lead us to great miracles.
Where Nothing Is Everything…
Healing Not Handicapped
It hardly seemed like an ideal time for my first injury in several decades. Family and friends who saw the size of my swollen knee urged me to cancel my trip to Costa Rica, featuring a retreat with Dr. Sue Morter, and seek medical attention.
Daily yoga and several trips up and down 108 stairs to the shala where our classes would be held seemed impossible; I couldn’t walk across a room without crutches.
Friends who were joining me at the retreat were training for those stairs. As an avid hiker, I’d smugly believed I’d be scaling them several times a day with absolute ease, along with several trails I’d planned to traverse on hikes before the retreat.
Instead of further researching the volcanoes, waterfalls and national parks I’d planned to explore, I wondered how I was going to get to my connecting flight in the immense Atlanta airport.
Instead of listening to those who were reflecting back my own fear, I found the courage to board my flight.
In case that didn’t feel crazy enough, I also turned down the wheelchair I’d requested. “Nope,” I thought when I saw the chair and sign with my name on it. “I can’t give my body that message. I need to affirm healing, not handicapped.”
It was a slow hobble to my next gate, but I made it. I assured myself that the timing of the injury was perfect, despite how it looked and felt. My belief that every occurrence of my life serves my highest good does not have exceptions; there had to be a reason for this timing.
There turned out to be countless reasons. I will dedicate my next few posts to them, to offer hope for those struggling with injuries and other challenges.
Destined Detour
I didn't even know what part of Costa Rica I was heading to when I landed, let alone where I was staying.
I’d originally planned to visit Bijagua, but hiking volcanoes and waterfalls was no longer in the cards. (To my immeasurable surprise, I was able to enjoy all of this just after the retreat!)
The mind had searched for an alternative plan, but nothing felt right. So, I boarded my flight without a pre-retreat plan, surrendering to the highest good that I trusted would reveal when I landed.
When the flight touched down, a listing appeared that hadn’t shown up in previous searches. I knew the moment I saw the photo that I was meant to head to Hotel Villa del Sol in Playas del Coco, where someone else’s last-minute cancellation provided my last-minute booking.
Hotel Villa del Sol turned out to be exactly what I wanted - a local, non-touristy spot that could not have blessed me with a better first impression of Costa Rican hospitality or the ability to do next to nothing for three days. That nothing was everything.
Grateful Surrender
I wanted to explore so many areas of this glorious country, and my inner-adventurer would have had me doing so each day. Since I couldn't, I didn't. Instead of letting that be disappointing, I opened to the idea of enjoying myself right where I was.
The hotel featured gorgeous gardens and a really nice pool. The beach was a block away. What more did I really need?
Watching other guests skip the hotel’s glorious breakfast to board early morning shuttles for excursions made me grateful for my inability to force activities — especially when they returned and told me they wished they’d stayed at the hotel all day, also.
Traveling is such a big part of my life that I forget to sometimes forget to take actual vacations. When was the last time I had done absolutely nothing but relax?
I bathed my knee in the mineral-rich volcanic black sand and warm, salty sea. Massages were enjoyed right on the beach, with a local who referred to the tree she worked under as her office.
Hours were enjoyed reading and meditating in hammocks. And I was blessed with the freshest fruit, right off the trees, and yummiest breakfasts I’d had in eons.
I connected with the warm, loving, and gracious staff and the resident kitty, all of whom I adored beyond words.
My days there helped me begin to tap into the sense of gratitude that would shape the rest of my Costa Rican adventure — the one that was far more magnificent than any that mind of mine could have conjured up.
Even as a B.E.S.T. energy healer who had experienced more than my share of miracles with clients, I couldn’t imagine the deep and rapid healing that would soon occur at Dr. Sue’s retreat in Nosara.
Those days in Playas del Coco were exactly what I needed first, to relax my mind and body. They helped me soften my inner sands so I could allow that injury to sculpt me into an even more awakened and empowered version of myself.
Sometimes right where you are is simply where you’re meant to be. I highly recommend this wonderful spot and suggest when you stay there, you take at least a day to just be there.
Gracias Fatima, Marta, and your entire incredible crew and of course, Mineero Boots my first Costa Rican amigo gato. I love you all and can't wait to see you again next time!
