Special Guest Appearance: "Regalos" by Cat DuBois

Trip Start Apr 06, 2008
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Trip End May 10, 2008


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Flag of Costa Rica  ,
Saturday, April 12, 2008

Shannon has given me the opportunity to respond - finally - to her many spurious blog entries impugning my character as a good travel companion and an adventurous zip-liner; not to mention the more maligning comments regarding my paleness.  Ok, as pictures demonstrate, I can't really debate my paleness and I did volunteer to do whatever on the zip-line, so, instead of a response and in the spirit of the title, I give you comment on 'regalos' - or, in english, 'gifts.'  When Shannon asked me to join her on her first week of this journey (a huge gift) I knew it would be a great week of rest and relaxation.  At the time, however, I had no idea that it would also be a week of rediscovery - or as we have come to call it - letting go. 

As Shannon mentioned, I didn't even know what zip-lining was (the most I knew was the zip-line at camp in southern Indiana where you held on to a rusty bar twenty feet above the ground and let go over the lake - not at all the same thing!) Cat
Cat
 .  Who knew that "letting go" would be hanging up-side-down stories above a Costa Rican forest floor with Howler monkeys looking on.  The best part of this trip has been getting to know Shannon - after all, it's not everyone who, after a lizard has pooped on your breakfast (a lesser known gift, but a gift nonetheless), can laugh uproariously and announce to you that have been bestowed with seven years good luck.  She is generous to the end - last night as we were enjoying our dinner of fresh bread and a fabulous gouda, courtesy of Malcolm, we were visited by the banditos (the racoons).  Shannon decided that the best way to get rid of them was to give them food from our table.  Needless to say, the racoons failed to take the food we gave them and say "thank you, that's all we wanted.  Good bye."  Instead, they got more and more bold, until we had to pack up our dinner and chase them away with a chair. 

Shannon and I have talked about everything from religion to empanadas, and even when we disagree, I know that she listened to my point of view and tried to understand what I meant.  I can't say that about many people, and I'm sure that Shannon is that way with everyone.  We have been lamenting that, other than our canopy tour, our week has been lounging, but for me the week has been an adventurous soul searching, and Shannon has been more than a great sounding board.  She is a wealth of great ideas and positive thinking - even when my ideas have been more than crazy (which is more than often).  Shannon always finds a way to turn my crazy idea into something remotely possible.  It's been a gift to get to know her this week.  Thank you to a fabulous week of rest and relaxation in Costa Rica (which I know is not an island).  Thank you to Shannon.  

Now I am a few short hours from my flight back to the states.  I have the temporary gift of sunburn and heat rash (what vacation is complete without a heat rash), a handful of realistic ideas about doing what I want to do, and the lasting memories of Costa Rica, Shannon, the Banditos, Malcolm, mi novio de el canopy, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  What could be better than that?
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