Sunset at the beach. What could be more perfect? While I had already throughly enjoyed many aspects of my trip to Costa Rica, sunset at the beach seemed to be promising as a highlight. Following a very rough, but scenic ride on dirt paths that serve as roads in the Costa Rican jungle and bisecting …
Author Archives: retiredgirlbeautifulworld
Storm Before the Calm
The occasional voice of thunder was deep and faint. The scent of rain was on the breeze as it gently accelerated and alternately slowed. The gray clouds tumbled into a roll and marched closer to the yoga deck from which I observed. Because of the vastness of the ocean and sky, storms could be seen …
Butterflies and Blue…
It’s so hard to pick a favorite spot in Costa Rica, but the edge of the infinity saltwater pool is definitely a contender. The edge overlooked a valley full of flowering plants and colorful butterflies that reached out into the distance to the ocean hues of turquoise, azure and blue. From this vantage point I …
Beautiful Voices
Every yoga practice has been beautiful in its own way. Thursday was about opening the throat chakra. Breathing in the ocean air and gazing across the turquoise and azure waves is the ultimate blue experience. Communication originates here, listening and speaking. The reflective properties of water, particularly when still, mimic listening and water in motion …
Chef’s Special
From a hammock on the deck at the Casita, I hear the howls of the monkeys and the chirps of the geckos joined by the clank of metal and the clink of glass from the nearby kitchen. As meals are prepared, the scents of spices travel like a ribbon winding through the rain and flower …
Happy Birthday, Dragonflies!
New dragonflies were born this morning, emerging from an unseen water source like a tornado swirling higher and higher, rising away from the rain forest floor reaching above the canopy, dancing in the sky and seeing the ocean that extends forever, unimaginable from the vantage point of their birth, for the first time. Their lives …
Beautiful
I arrived at Anamaya Resort yesterday and I have never heard, uttered or thought the word “beautiful” more in my life than in my time here. While the surroundings are visibly beautiful, so are the people, the experience, the food… basically, everything. It’s the rainy season here and thunder has rumbled in the distance on …
Building for the future
So, after yoga the other day I decided to get a smoothie and go hang out on Goose Island to enjoy it. I wandered around and took some photos of butterflies and ducks and all the usual suspects. I happened to notice some flat rocks that would be good for stacking, so I decided to …
Heron Now…
A beautiful, young heron graced my presence this morning. I approached him cautiously and slowly hoping to get photos. He represents innate wisdom, resourcefulness, and self-reliance. He forges his own path. “It’s a matter of perspective. If one way doesn’t work, another will.” -Heron
When you mess with birds…
When you mess with birds, well, you get into a mess. I’ll start this story at the beginning. I decided to go on a run today. It’s been a couple of weeks. I haven’t been motivated to do so for a variety of reasons, but the weather forecast for later today and the foreseeable future …
The Four Agreements…
Reflection: Balance vs. Symmetry…
This sweet little cove was the perfect place for rest and reflection after a short paddle upstream. Left-right-left-right… Up-down-up-down… In-out-in-out… If it was only so simple. Balance isn’t always even or symmetrical. Balance has to be responsive. It can depend on the current. If it pushes left, it takes more power on the right to …
Out of Nowhere
The low tumbling clouds over the lake left me with a shadowy view of the rows of geese and triangular families of ducks with whom I shared the lake. At times, until items were quite nearby, it was as if they didn’t exist. Acutely aware of the hazards posed by this situation, I kept my …
Rainbows and Swans?
I’m familiar with the saying, “rainbows and unicorns,” but this morning it was rainbows and swans. As I followed the black asphalt road to my yoga class, I was chasing rainbows. Presently it began to sprinkle gently and the windshield of my convertible misted up as it protected its contents from the moisture. Although I …
This.
Coexist
The other day I saw a post on Facebook saying that if you set out a half-lime with whole cloves poked in it, it would keep away flies. So a fly was interrupting my deck-sitting-with-coffee-time this morning with his annoying presence, so I decided to try it. While I know just because it’s on the …
Duckling Wake
Today when I arrived at the lake, I spied a mama duck and her ducklings. After the initial silent “oh, they’re so cute” adrenaline rush, of course I took some photos. Then, I observed them and noticed each one’s tiny wake, extending from their tail feathers in a triangular pattern with each ripple reaching out …
Goose Island
When I drove across the Taneycomo Bridge yesterday, I noticed that Goose Island was visible and inhabited with about 100 geese and a few ducks. Before anyone points it out, I know that Goose Island really isn’t an island, but a peninsula or probably even more accurately, a sandbar. Goose Island just has a better …
Honu
One hour of Yin, or deep stretch yoga at Kom Hot Yoga can transport me to the beach, which is my ultimate happy place. Today I felt like creating Turtle Pose, which opens the hips and stretches the back. Honu is the Hawaiian name for the green sea turtle and envisioning him gracefully propelling through …
First run of my (new) life
“Hey look Ma, I made it!” The first run of my “new life” was hot and hilly. It was the kind of run where patches of shade served as motivation to keep moving #OnTheRoadAgain I hadn’t run for a couple of weeks. Life was in the way. But this run felt good. Today I was …
Goats and Yoga
I went to a small educational farm in Rogersville, Mo. that holds fun animal interactions including goat yoga and bunny meditation. Their tag line is accurate: where joy and zen meet. Goats and Yoga is a wonderful experience with simple yoga poses and goats frolicking about. They naturally want to jump on flat surfaces, so …
Butterfly Shadows
Lying in the giant shadows of the much smaller butterflies, breathing the fragrance of the fuchsia fans waving from among the fronds of the mimosa. The sun sparkles through when the breeze makes room. This is my favorite tree. I had one in my yard growing up. It was “home base” for wiffleball and we …
Retired Girl?
Are you wondering why I decided to call myself “retired girl?” I mentioned in my first post that the word “retired” seemed like it referred to someone old and I don’t consider myself old. That’s why I added “girl” to bring in the idea of youth and fun. I guess I am a “young soul.” …
It’s Me!!!
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?These are the questions that any writer must answer. These are the answers that the readers seek. So, for my first blog post, I’ll try. Who? Last week if you asked me who I was, within seconds I would have told you that I was principal of a nationally recognized …
Retired Girl in a Beautiful World 