Grief is like a rip tide. From the shore, the ocean looks calm and placid. Then you get the call and you jump in. In 1990, I believed in life and divine intervention so I jumped into Costa Rica but before I did , I got another call that would impact my life and my destiny. Then the call came in from my doctor,Stanley, who was a friend of my married Jewish family and the husband of one of my nail clients . Stanley called with the results of my Pap test, saying he wanted me in the hospital for a hysterectomy . I remember saying “Stanley, I won’t make it…I’m 96 pounds and after this…”. As my voice trailed off. Stanley asked the next question. I heard myself say “I’m going to Costa Rica”. With no passport or funds, let alone I didn’t speak the language, Spanish, how was this going to even happen? I was drained emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially. My rainy day was here and the call came. Divine intervention was happening. Without hesitation, I was jumping in and not alone. It was like Spirit got into me. My Spirit Guide was right there with me. My new mantra was I’m going to Costa Rica and I wasn’t alone. Within weeks, thanks to Louise, I had a passport and the funds-$700-to go on my healing adventure.

It was just south of Limon when it happened, the rip tide. We had traveled by train from San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. It had already been quite the journey and I needed to chill out. From the shore, the ocean looked calmly placid and intensely blue. Stretches of golden sand surrounded by tropical jungle and coconut trees created an inviting relaxed invitation to enjoy. At the time, there were no posted signs cautioning swimmers about strong currents. As I entered the surf there were a few surfers to my left. What I would soon discover, is one of these surfers would become my guardian angel. The ocean was calling me. It looked like a perfect picture postcard moment. Wearing a brightly colored yellow and orange hibiscus print string bikini I dove right on in. I went in not expecting what would happen next.Suddenly I was being pulled against my will. It was the rip current. For an instance I felt helpless, quickly losing my bikini to the current. Recalling the swimming lessons I had taken after the Air Florida DC crash into the Potomac,I did my best to not struggle and go with the flow. Thank G-d for those surfers. Years later, I was shocked when I heard about the death on that Cocles Beach of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who had played Theo on ” The Bill Cosby Show.” I immediately thought back to my own experience. Even before the news carried the details, I knew it was the rip tide at Cocles Beach,where Malcolm-Jamal Warner was swimming

Once I had declared my direct and clear intention to the Universe to travel to Costa Rica everything had quickly turned into divine intervention . Within three weeks not only did I have my passport and travel funds , I now had a travel companion. I now know. I was being lead by spirit. It was an affirmation of life. When we landed in the capital, San Jose, we spent our first night in a dive of a hotel. It was so bad, I slept with my baseball hat and shoes on, The next morning I had my very first Cafe con Leche and I was immediately in love with Costa Rican coffee.

Costa Rica is known for producing high quality coffee. As early as 1779, coffee production began because of its ideal conditions.Costa Rica has only 2 seasons, dry and wet. Because of the diverse geographic features, that include mild temperatures, fertile soil, enriched by volcanic ash while also helps oxygenating the beans, rainfall and high altitude Costa Rica was known for producing the highest quality of 100% Arabic coffee beans. Spanish colonist had introduced the beans to Costa Rica directly from Ethiopia. By the nineteenth century, the government encouraged coffee production and offered farmers plots of land for anybody who wanted to harvest. Once Costa Rica declared in 1821 their independence from Spain, the industry grew quickly. It was a real boon to the economic development. With no Mayan or Aztec building empires, Costa Rica remained impoverished and undeveloped . Now everywhere there were thriving communities. With the revenue generated by the coffee industry in Costa Rica funded the first railroads to the Atlantic Coast and the National Theater itself in San Jose. By 1989, Costa Rica passed a law banning the growing of bad beans, By the time I was leaving Costa Rica, I wasn’t alone. Carrying 70 pounds of Costa Rican coffee beans in a duffel bag. By the time I arrived in Miami, it would get seized and dumped in the search for hidden drugs. It’s decades later and I can still see the beans hitting the stainless steels counter, going everywhere with the exception of home with me. And to the dismay of customs, no drugs were hidden in that undeclared cargo of mine.

The construction for the railroad began in 1871 and by 1890 it was operational from San Jose to Limon. Since there was a shortage of workers for hard labor, workers from Jamaica, Italy and China immigrated to the country. Because of this In our travels , we soon would discover some of the best Jamaican and Chinese food that we had ever experienced. On the Caribbean side, Jamaican and on the Pacific side, Chinese in Puntarenas. Soon leaving San Jose on a train, we were heading to the east coast and to start exploring the national parks.

Costa Rica has one of the most biodiverse environments on the planet, showing off more than fifty shades of green.Costa Rica has more National Parks than any other country with 186 protected areas. There are 31 National Parks, 34 wildlife refuges, 15 biological and forest reserves and wetlands and endless rain forests. For a country about the size of West Virginia, it was mind boggling how much of the land was protected. At the time, Costa Rica was known for having the most varieties of orchids with its national flower, the Guaria Moravia, a stunning purple orchid, Costa Rica was also known for over 1200 butterfly species with The Blue Morpho Butterfly the most recognized butterfly in all of Costa Rica. Butterflies have long been associated with a deep connection for the soul and transformation. Amongst the natives of the rainforest, the blue color represents healing and many natives of the rainforest see the blue butterfly as a wish granter. At Playa Blancha , those Morpho Blue butterflies were everywhere on the black sand beach. Soon my inner child was chasing those wish granting, healing, magical blue butterflies in the fury of the surf on the black sand beach. My first wish was already being granted. Every cell in my body right down to my DNA level was vibrating to the richness of color everywhere especially blue and green. Soon I was letting go of feeling swept up into all my worries of possibly having cervical cancer, my recent divorce and losing my home. The more I surrendered to being here in the now, I felt myself becoming one with the moment. Inhaling the lush rainforest fully with all it magnificent colors, richness, vibrancy filled all my senses with much needed calm, healing of my heart, soul and spirit. Especially spirit, I could feel the warmth of my vibrating spirit. Wonderment was my mantra and color was the magic wand for much needed healing. Color therapy has been around for centuries can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians who used sun filled rooms with colored glass.

Not so long ago after my divorce, I signed up for an art therapy class at the Spring Street Wellness Center in NYC where we explored chromotherapy. I would soon learn that green is considered a color with healing powers. It is the most relaxed color that the human eye can see. Since 1903, Crayola Crayon has formulated over 400 colors and currently has 19 different blues and 20 different greens. In 1990, they formulated Jungle green. Blue color names like Aquamarine, Turquoise blue, Sky blue, Celestial blue whirled about in the skies, oceans and rainbows. Here I was in the midst of experiencing all the healing properties of every color. In the Crayola box. Green invites the body to experience peace, harmony and healing.

On the train to Limon, we were befriended by a native Costa Rican named Gloria. It was spring break and she was traveling with her children. We soon discovered her daughter and I shared the same birthday, March 18. By the time we arrived in Limon, we were invited to celebrate our birthdays together. We would meet on Sunday, March 18 at her San Juan home . Later on our way back from Tortuguero National Park, we would stay at the 5 star resort in Limon. But for now we were backpacking, hitchhiking and staying cheaply. Off we went headed to Cahuita, home to the Cahuita National Park which was known for its white sandy beaches, coral reefs and world class surfing. There we stayed at a hostel, sleeping in hammocks, run by an English speaking gal from Switzerland. Nearby was Playa Blancha with its stunning black sand beaches and its strong waves, ie rip tides. The ocean called and I answered dashing into the surf. After immersing myself, it was a baptismal moment and my teeny weeny yellow string bikini would become one with the rip tide. Hours later, we would find ourselves feasting on warm water spiny lobster. Unlike the 2 pound Maine lobsters. Being on the Caribbean side, there was a lot of Jamaican infused food to enjoy at incredible reasonable prices. For eleven dollars we feasted on fresh lobsters pulled out of the Caribbean Sea as we sat there at the ocean’s edge. While we sat on a picnic bench, we watched as the chef host skillfully use a meat cleaver, to cut each lobster in half and smothered the exposed meat in Jamaican spices and grilled,served with fresh roasted corn and washed down with some cold beer. There is a big difference between warm water and cold water lobster. The biggest differences being that warm water lobster lack of claws and they possess long spiny antennae hence the name “spiny lobster” while Cold water lobsters wield large claws.

Within days once again we would be hitchhiking, headed south, near the Panamanian border. We would be riding on a farm flat bed truck with farm workers. Out of nowhere, they had come. Dressed in camouflage gear holding rifles, they demanded we all get off the truck. As I held my passport next to my face, I felt the stream of warm pee down my legs. Just thinking about that I can still feel the fear on my body and the warmth of pee on my thighs.