In the last few days of preparation for my trip, I am really cramming in my required reading, as well as cramming my bag. In the process I have learned so many things about the places we will be going. From different types of trees to the birds, insects and animals that live in them. Like the massive Harpy Eagle that hunts sloths, or the pink Boto dolphin who is said to have magical powers. The rainforest is home to multitudes of exotic and magnificent species living in the uppermost canopy down to forest floor and beneath the roots. Our group gets to travel in and out of the rainforest often, sometimes staying there for weeks, and I am not missing this opportunity to witness some action. Taking a walk through my own backwoods the other day, I realized that as I walked along the trails, I found myself so often watching my feet more than what was above and around me. Being so concentrated on where I was going took my attention away from appreciating where I was. So instead of keeping my eyes glued to the ground, I took my time to watch the wind play with the leaves, and notice where the sun shined through. I looked at the tree types grouped together and where others had fallen. I saw the pattern of growth and rebirth: the cyclical processes that maintain the flow of energy.
So now I have made a promise to myself that no matter how things are going on this journey, I will always take the time to lift my eyes off the path ahead of me and take in my surroundings. This trip isn't about being worried about the next step (that is why we have a program coordinator with us- it's her job), it is about me learning. I will be hiking through mountain forests, the Amazon Basin, along Iguaçu Falls, chasing butterflys, dodging snakes and army ants, birdwatching... and there is no way that I can miss a moment of it.
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