Falling In Love

I fell in love this weekend in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. And it was on more than one occasion.

All the love culminated in one embrace with Jorge, the wrinkley old Tico who sold me my pure cacao and pure coconut oil treasures. The smell of dirty rum on his breath felt savory in my nostrils and through his sunburnt skin I read his story. Every day he stands in that same spot, selling fresh fruit and super foods to passerbyers and tourists- mostly tourists. Everyday he is there. All, but one. He missed one day in the past year. It was yesterday. Yesterday, he went to visit his mother- hi 84 year old mother who lives on the other side of the country. He hadn’t seen her in a year, he tells me, but he calls her every single day. He giggles with a twinkle in his eyes. For a moment, they become the eyes of his mother and I can feel the warmth that she passed on to him.

And then gets back to telling me about the healing properties of cacao and coconut. I realize that maybe I already read about this all before, but it sounds new and beautiful, with the sweet sound of his native tongue, sung from passionate soul.

I fell in love with the painted landscape of vibrant greens and thirst-quenching blues- the white sand that created a blanket for my body to rest between a joyful jungle and a serene sea.

Deep laughter with friends. Fun conversations with dreadlocked visionaries.

Swimming dogs and island jumping.

Paddle boards and blessed bike rides.

Ping pong and yoga, volleyball and naps in the shade.

Hammocks.

To fall in love with the sloth may be the most simplest feat of all. The slow and deliberate movements, the careful reaching and careless dangling: tell me how not to love in their presence?

The bliss of salt water than stings at your eyes and a sunburnt forehead.

A mama monkey carrying her baby, looking down at you in concern. For what do we come into their world? Such curiosity. Such compassion. Such concern.

How often do we take a moment to breathe and look into our surroundings?

To breathe and embrace the greatness that is offered to us everyday.

To feel life. To be it.

Sometimes we see what we have come to see. And, oh, how that inhibits the potential of all that the world has to offer us.

Listening to little old Jorge speak with such love, compassion and laughter brought me back to El Salvador- where lovely old ladies taught me how to make tortillas. His voice brought me back to Thailand, where guys on the beach fetched me fresh cocos. His twinkling eyes showed the image of my Grandma and all the ways she showed me how to love life.

I loved that little old man.

And I love to continue falling in love.  To re-live my most beautiful memories. To feel it all over again.

It is the most revitalizing power.

And the beauty of love is that to experience it, it must be shared… with someone or something. So, when we love, we spread the love.

Be a kid again. Feel the wind on your skin. Peddle fast on a bike. Climb a tree. Swim underwater. Listen to the birds. Talk to a stranger.

Keep an open mind. Embrace what is before you.

Love exists everywhere. You just need to be open to it.