It happens every day in the sunny season. People in Monteverde gather in different places to see the sunset. There are a couple of spots with benches where visitors and locals get together and see the magnificence of the multicolored sky reflecting in the stillness of the distant Pacific Ocean.
Sometimes, when I join this silent search for the miracle of twilight, I wonder what is more beautiful: the breathtaking sky or the people discovering their own beauty by looking at it in nature.
As a naturalist tour guide, I’ve seen thousands of passengers change their moods, ease up, and take in the beauty like water for a thirsty, stressed mind. Somehow, the simplicity of nature takes us to a more primitive state of mind where worries and the rush of daily life seem distant and irrelevant.
What is it about nature that gives us peace? What is it about walking on a forest trail that feels better than hours in a luxurious spa? Why do we feel "connected"? And connected to what?
We cannot even talk about aesthetics here. It goes beyond human taste, pleasure, or comfort. It is unfathomable yet undeniable.
Nature happens in us when we are immersed in it.
It connects us to our most authentic self, the one that doesn’t depend on a phone, social media, or money to be what it is.
Nature calls us to freedom, inner silence, and peace.
And for those who think that inner silence and peace sound boring, what the words actually mean is experiencing life without any obstacles to it.
Far from being dull, the experience of pure life can be as intense as you allow it to be.
Here are 7 things I’ve learned from living immersed in nature. I hope one day that you can share in them.
People who live in nature are without doubt happier, healthier, and more joyful.
My life quality is much better since I live next to the wilderness, but let’s face it, can we all do it?
Could I live here when I was managing a big travel company or while studying to get that position?
I know for a fact that while my kids were growing up, living in the wilderness was virtually impossible as they not only wanted certain educational privileges but also the social life that comes with living in the city.
And then the question remains: what do we do to get that glimpse into the realm that freely charges our inner battery?
I live in Mexico City every now and then, and in the largest city in Latin America, I discovered that, as utopian as it may sound, we are slowly returning to respond to our more primary needs. We live with all the comfort and efficiency of technology, of course, but we are somehow on our way back home to nature.
In the last few decades, big cities (CDMX is part of this urban movement) have been opening green areas, parks, and urban havens where people can come out to have lunch sitting on the grass and under a blue sky.
And even in the most corporative state of mind, we are far more creative and productive when relaxed and rested after time spent in nature.
It will always be up to us to go out and find nature close to where we live or work.
Now, you may tell me, "That is easy to say when you are in sunny Costa Rica and not in the freezing North!" And I agree, but then there is another magnificent reality about nature: It is a fractal.
Have you ever stopped to observe the detail in a lettuce leaf? They are magnificent!
Nature is loaded with small snippets of beauty everywhere! If we open our eyes to it, from the silver lining on a rain-loaded cloud to the soft blue of the succulent that may decorate your workstation, all the beauty of the universe seems to gather at the one point where your attention is.
Probably the foremost important part of this is the realization that, as beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, we simply have to attune ourselves to natural beauty by paying attention.
One of the most amazing insights about nature is realizing that its beauty is absolutely indifferent to the eyes that witness it and the souls that are in awe of it.
Nature does not fake anything; it doesn’t care about being popular, better, or taller (except to search for sunlight and survival). Nature shows itself clearly; it does not judge itself or us. Leaves may have been bitten, flowers may have fainted, and branches may have been broken. It is what it is: organized chaos, an innocent and perfect mess, that allows us to be ourselves as well.
As we live on a round planet, our human perception tells us that we are at the center of the world (and, well, it’s true! We all are. It is a sphere!), but nature reminds us that we are not that important. And boy! Is that a relief?
One of the most striking ideas I’ve read in recent times comes from Yuval Harari’s Sapiens, From Animals to Gods, as he talks about how humans turn into realities the stories we tell ourselves. We think thousands of thoughts a day, and mostly none of them are even a little useful.
Story after story, our inner noise becomes the main obstacle to overcome when we are in nature. All those thoughts follow us into our free nights, weekends, and vacations.
However, inner noise starves in silence when we don’t pay attention to it — and that can be a good thing. The key is to remain attentive to what surrounds you. Photographers and birdwatchers can confirm this, and this is probably the reason why those two hobbies are increasingly popular.
When we find ourselves in silence and surrounded by wilderness, we can open up to the fact that we are part of a huge network. As a result, we connect to our primary reality: we are nature itself.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are part of a huge life network. Some may call it God, some may call it simply "nature" or "life," but as a bottom line, to witness a forest, the sky, or the ocean in all their complexity and believe all ecology is a coincidence is exactly like looking at a smartwatch and thinking that it was created by a fluke.
When we pay attention to nature, we plug into the network that we belong to, and thus we are happier and more relaxed.
As humans, we have been competing with nature, attempting to tame and enslave it. And we have succeeded—for a while.
But it is time to acknowledge that we are a part of it and that the more we love and respect it, the happier and more relaxed our lives will be.
As the following video explains, "Nature does not need us." We depend completely on it.
Nature Is Speaking – Julia Roberts is Mother Nature | Conservation International (CI)
"Monteverde is a healing place." I have heard that so many times! and it may be true. Or it may just be its magnificent nature and a sustainable, happy community that stops to watch the sunset.
Mental illness has become an issue all over the world. We live in a stress pandemic, and we must break through it before it breaks us all down. Monteverde may be a healing place simply because wherever you look there is a thriving and healthy forest, colorful birds, rainbows, and mist. It is a place designed to be seen and admired from many spots.
It is almost impossible not to feel somehow connected to everything here. And it may be this connection that is a healing force.
Nature is a flowing force, a mother that nurtures us, a network we belong to, an unfathomable intelligence, and a breathtaking mirror. We may find our life purpose in its forests and find who we are while walking barefooted by the beach.
In its indifferent silence, we find that unconditional love is not necessarily the most expressive, but it is there, smiling, giving itself generously for us to flow in it, to be happier, and to fully experience freedom and peace.
At Ocotea Boutique Hotel we aim to bring its magnificence into every detail for you to open your arms to the healing magnificence of Monteverde’s nature. We hope you can join us soon.