I think New Yorkers are best adept for sleeping in the rainforest. You’d be surprised just how similar the two are, sound-wise, at least. The rainforest isn’t a quiet oasis, but rather an entire city of vibrant life. Hidden beneath the brush are scampering lizards, curious bugs, a few mischevious mice, infamous snakes, and much more (some of which people don’t want to know about).
Listening to this symphonic wildlife orchestra at night is the perfect way to slide yourself back into nature’s ways. It definitely surprised me at first. There are birds calling, footsteps crunching on leaves, fruits falling to the ground, and a multitude of other sounds I can’t even attempt to label. All that busy-ness reminded me of the sounds of a city, but in a way that doesn’t induce migraines or road rage.
Getting to the rainforest is a bit of an adjustment at first. It isn’t so much the accommodation as the way of life and lack of service. Back home, everything is go go go. Some days felt like I was living an endless to-do list: go to work, go to the doctors, get groceries, stop at the bank. Hopefully that starts to paint the picture. Life moves at a much slower pace here. Wake up with the sun and the sound of nature surrounding you. Warm up to today’s adventure at your own pace. Spend the daylight hours hiking, strolling about, taking pictures. Most importantly, forget about your phone.
Learning not to pick my phone up has, sadly, been the most eye-opening experience so far. There’s no service where I’m staying, which I am now thankful for. It’s given me the time to take a step back from social media and staying connected to realize that the most important connection we can make is actually with the people around us, not the ones at the other end of a social media post.
These past few days I’ve run to the beach to watch the sunrise, hitch hiked for the first time, and saw two Casssowary (birds the size of me) on the size of the road, all with incredible new people I met a few days ago. No one knew this until now because I haven’t been on my phone. (If you do something and don’t post it, did it even happen?) I’ve been right here, in the present moment, and that makes everything so much more vivid.
Everyday I’m starting to realize that the rainforest has more and more to teach us: to slow down, connect with the world around us, and truly be present. Granted, it certainly made posting this blog much harder, but there also wouldn’t be a blog without that experience. I can’t tell you when I’ll be in touch again, but I can certainly confirm that I’ll be sleeping well with my rainforest lullaby.
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