Costa Rica calls…In the summer of 2011, I felt my life imploding, mostly on an emotional level. The foundation of my marriage was crumbling and intuitively we both knew that it was coming to an end. It’s never easy ending a marriage; instinctively we may have searched for the culprit or wanted to place blame on one or the other, but we knew things just weren’t working. It makes it especially difficult when there are two young children involved. My wife (at the time) and I tried to make things as friendly as possible for the kids while the inevitable separation commenced. Whether we succeeded will always be up for debate, but the intention was there.
Listen to David narrate this blog on Spotify!
There was something deep inside me that knew I had very little to give anymore. I also understood that it was time for me to do a deep dive into myself emotionally to start to heal whatever was plaguing me. What I didn’t know at the time was that it would be the better part of 4 years before I even began to find my footing once again. I was entering the long path to finding myself and it was through this lens that I first stepped foot in the country of Costa Rica. We planned our 2011 summer trip to Costa Rica at my bequest. It would be the last trip that we would take as a family.
We landed in Costa Rica and I was immediately drawn to the beauty of the country. Lush foliage blanketed the terrain and everywhere the eye could see a new color from the spectrum seemed to manifest before my very eyes. I remember clearly the drive to our hotel; we weaved through the city and I drank in every moment. Blue seas provided the beautiful back drop while volcanoes dotted the sky in the distance. Everywhere I turned I saw beauty. Something deep inside of me knew that my life was about to change is a very big way.
“Things as I know it will never be the same again,” I thought silently to myself as I peered out the window.
I thought about my 7-foot Iranian messenger who advised me to go to Costa Rica and I couldn’t help but think that he had guided me perfectly. I instantly fell in love with the country. I discovered early on that rainforests held special allure for the citizens of this tiny Caribbean island.
“You must go to the rainforests,” a young guide advised me. “Take your kids there. Specialness awaits inside.”
It all sounded so mystical to me. The guide spoke with such passion that we decided to schedule an excursion to the rainforests. Our first trip to the rainforests didn’t disappoint. I quickly learned that Coffee was a way of life for the Costa Rican people and on our first foray into the jungle we were introduced to the Blue Morpho Butterfly.
Costa Rica: Home to the Blue Morpho Butterfly
As its common name implies, the blue morpho butterfly’s wings are bright blue, edged with black. The blue morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world, with wings spanning from five to eight inches. Their vivid, iridescent blue coloring is a result of the microscopic scales on the backs of their wings, which reflect light. The underside of the morpho’s wings, on the other hand, is a dull brown color with many eyespots, providing camouflage against predators such as birds and insects when its wings are closed. When the blue morpho flies, the contrasting bright blue and dull brown colors flash, making it look like the morpho is appearing and disappearing. The males’ wings are broader than those of the females and appear to be brighter in color. Blue morphos, like other butterflies, also have two clubbed antennas, two fore wings and two hind wings, six legs and three body segments—the head, thorax and abdomen.
My daughter and I instantly became entranced by these delightful creatures. As I watched in wonderment at these glorious creations, it struck me that butterflies symbolize transformation. What once was an earth-bound caterpillar had the capacity to sprout wings and fly—completely changing its reality from one of being imprisoned on earth to become a liberated flying soul. It wasn’t lost on me that one day this would become a metaphor for me to strive to embody.
A few years later my daughter, son and I would start a foundation called the Secret Blue Butterfly where we would perform random acts of kindness to spread love and kindness to every corner of the globe; our driving principle being one kind act can create a butterfly effect that can change the world (you can get your free butterflies here).
So many lessons came from my first trip to Costa Rica. As a family, we got to witness white monkeys in the jungles of CR and were even instructed not to smile at them because they view a smile as an act of aggression. This seemed so incongruent to me then however now as the world is changing, I wonder if one day humans won’t begin seeing smiling as an act of aggression. The more we seek our differences and fear one another the more likely this could happen in the future. This is why it’s imperative to remember we are far stronger together than when we are isolated and alone.
Costa Rica had called to me on my very first visit. It is a spiritual portal, and I could feel my spiritual side becoming activated. Like flint struck against a rock it provided the very spark that would lead me on a decade long discovery of self. The journey would be long with many twists and turns and it was only with hindsight that I was able to see how imperative each step was on the journey. It was all necessary even if at times painful. When searching for our true selves sometimes we must investigate the depths of despair to discover the shining light within.
Costa Rica had become my Mecca…
To hear David narrate this blog click the link below: