It's Like America, But South! Day 4

Another beautiful day in Costa Rica! We did some more exploring, visited a beautiful park, took a hike through a nature preserve down to a river, had an amazing lunch, and today's highlight was visiting a butterfly garden!

Thank you for the very sweet messages and texts in response to my post the other day. I went back and forth about whether to share such personal details because I am not a person who likes to admit when they're struggling. The outpouring of kindness has been incredible. I've learned about the struggles of some of my cherished people who opened up about themselves after reading my post, and for that reason alone, I'm glad I decided to be vulnerable. I didn't write all of that in a search for pity, but rather to let people know that just because someone seems fine and posts cute pics of their dog, that doesn't mean they aren't having a hard time. I tried week after week to "be" happy and failed consistently; adopting Avalanche definitely played a role in me finding little moments of joy each day, but even he couldn't cure me. I had to be patient and tell myself the storm would pass and celebrate little wins and now, at long last, I'm certain I'm on the other side. I came across a teaching blog a while back and the author shared a poem that one of her students wrote: "Brave birds still fly through fog." To anyone who finds themselves in the fog right now, keep going.

One of the best messages I received came from a friend who said they had noticed me smiling more over the past couple of weeks and that I just seemed like my old self again. Even my mom mentioned that I was smiling more lately, and she is one of the few people who has truly seen me at my worst, so that is music to my ears - not only am I feeling happy again, but others are seeing it in me as well.

C and I are only four days into this adventure, but it has been transformative already. That's what travel does for me. It is my version of self-care. Some people like to get massages or watch Hallmark movies or meditate - all great activities! - but for me, travel is what has the most positive impact on my well-being. The quick weekend trips, the long road trips, the summer adventures...whether to somewhere new or somewhere we've been before, I just want to go. Even when it's uncomfortable and we don't speak the language and it's hard to find our way around and we don't understand the customs. Even when I almost get run over because the uber driver starts pulling away before I'm in the car (true story - this happened this morning!). Even then, I just want to go.

"If we were meant to stay in one place,

we would have roots instead of feet."

~ Rachel Wolchin ~

Happy Tails to you!