Mishaps, Snafus and Yet the Trip to Costa Rica was Memorable and Enjoyable

By Shayna Kaufmann

SAN DIEGO — It was the night before our long-awaited 25^th anniversary trip to Costa Rica. I left an acupuncture appointment with eight sexy (not!) cupping marks on my back, which would be in full display on my bathing-suit-laden vacation. I didn’t care. I finally felt well after two weeks of having a bug.  When I got home, my husband Eric greeted me with a cough and sadly pointed to his throat. Shit! It was too late to postpone our trip so I packed a drugstore of Dayquil, Sudafed, Tylenol, etc. (not exactly the substances Eric had hoped to ingest on vacation) to sponsor our trip.

Day one, our anniversary, was full of unexpected adventures. Eric nicknamed our rental car “A Bucket of Bolts,” while I called it “Sloth,” in honor of this local favorite animal. Even gunning the gas pedal, the car crawled, once even spinning its wheel as we tried to climb a steep, narrow, rocky road, on the side of a mountain. (That adventure warrants an entire blog!)

When we arrived at our rustic treehouse-like Airbnb, close to sunset, it started pouring rain. We had only been there long enough to see a scorpion in an outside bathroom (really!) and the family of bats “hanging” on the outside porch. Within minutes, it began to loudly thunder and lightning, and the power went out. (And stayed out for the next six hours). The storm was so loud that we couldn’t even hear each other speak. So, we sat in the dark, held hands, and watched and listened to nature’s powerful sound and light show. It was awesome!

When it finally stopped raining, we ventured into town for our anniversary “fancy” dinner – a highly recommended falafel place. The owner apologetically explained that they had to close early because there was no water (an ironic state given the downpour.) By this point, we were not even surprised. We settled for Indian food, went back to our dark treehouse, and crashed. At 1 am, the lights and a/c came back on, confusing us in our slumber. At 5:15am, we were again jolted awake by what sounded like a murderous horror movie – howling monkeys.

The rest of the trip had so many other “surprises” that we started a list – blisters from new shoes, sold out tickets to top destinations, a phone taking a dip in the ocean, almost running out of gas, etc.

Despite the unexpected twists and turns, it was a fabulous trip. With our necessary slower pace, I was more aware of the many shades of jungle green, the lizards and iguanas who perfectly blend in with their surroundings, and the way certain leaves decompose like a flower.

When the monkeys awoke me with their predictable 5:15am howl, I would make a cup of coffee, go outside, and just look at my surroundings. While I patiently waited to see if the trees would rustle with jumping monkeys (I will never make fun of bird watchers again😊,) I marveled at the distinct bird chirps, the glorious colors of the birds and butterflies, and even a leaf falling from a tree. Though I was not disappointed if the monkeys didn’t show, I was gleeful when they did. And, as they got to know us, they showed up more often, once even scaring the bats on the balcony. That was quite the side show!

There was also planned treats that happened – hikes to swim under waterfalls, white water rafting, long beach walks, and soaking in hot spring at sunset. Ahhh….

Seldom does vacation, or life, go exactly as planned. But we always have the choice to choose how to respond to the unexpected. We can get mad, frustrated, or disappointed, etc. and experience their yicky aftermath. Or we can choose to accept that “it is what it is”- even 5am vacation awakenings – and embrace the unexpected. I prefer the latter. It feels way better and you never know what gifts may be in store.

Wishing you presence and joy to the many splendors of Spring.

*
Dr. Shayna Kaufmann, a psychologist, received her mindfulness teacher training through Dharma Moon and Tibet House US. She leads meditation workshops and retreats and teaches mindfulness individually.