I woke up this morning to my alarm.  What happened to the gentle sound of rain on the roof…the sound of the bird, or animal, or whatever it was that woke me up each morning…or the light coming softly through the screened windows?  Where are the horses on the hillside beside Lake Arenal, outside my cottage door?

I looked at my husband today, after arising in our modern hotel room with blinds pulled, and said, “This sure is different than how we woke up yesterday.”  He agreed without hesitation.

My surroundings today seemed sterile by comparison.  The stark contrast is difficult to put into words.  The peacefulness and tranquility of Lake Arenal can only be described by the senses.

The intrusiveness of many voices speaking at once flooded the space around me at breakfast this morning.  Somehow the busyness of a crowded cafeteria affected me differently today.  I usually would have ignored it and passed it off as normal.  But not today.  Not after what I experienced the past few days.

Where was our table overlooking Lake Arenal’s lush foliage and the misty delight of cloud topped mountains?  Surreal!  Quiet background music provided perfect accompaniment for the gentle voices and smiles of Ticos who greeted and served us each morning.  Where is my hummingbird, perched on the exotic plant by the cottage porch?  And where are the butterflies that flitted casually from one majestic flower to another?

This place has changed me – changed my perception of the difference between what is normal and what is natural.  It clarified the contrast of quiet and clutter…the difference between the beauty of nature and what is merely structure.

As I reluctantly bring myself back to reality, I am reminded that today is – the day after Lake Arenal.

”But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;  or let the fish in the sea inform you.  Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.’  Job 12: 7-10 ( NIV)