When was the last time you stopped and smelled the roses–and yes, I do mean the cliche. I mean, when was the the last time you literally stopped to smell the earth? When was the last time you sat in a garden, as the scents of nearby basil leaves consumed your nostrils?
As we become thankless cogs regarding the intensive labor that is involved in the process of getting our food from the ground to the fork, we have lost the intimacy of impelling our hands into the palpable dirt. We have lost that primitive instinct of cultivating the earth, appreciating its nutritional abundance. We have lost our emotional attachment to the quality of food we produce and eventually consume.
When is the last time you sat down and took in your surroundings? 15 minutes of complete and utter silence. No phone. No friends. Just you and nature. Nature could be in a forest or the Big Apple in NY. Both are teeming with an insane amount of life to observe without the distraction of your phone or someone poking your shoulder to tell you ‘let’s go’. You can, if you silence yourself, tune into every color, sound and its pitch. Close your eyes and you might hear everything from people speaking different languages to birds flying by; everything becomes amplified.
When was the last time you visited a farm? Sure, you already know what a cow looks like. But when was the last time you shook hands with the people who produced the food you ate? Our group had the opportunity to visit an organic coffee farm, which was as incredible as it sounds, though it made me contemplate whether I would have been as excited to tour a soybean farm at home. In the age of large-scale industrial agriculture and over-processed foods, it is vital that we understand and appreciate where our food comes from.
When is the last time you sat down next to a bubbling brook? Watching the water, gentle yet powerful, flow over the boulders cobbled against the earth. Each drop trying to shape the rocks into something new. Smaller pebbles scattered about, edges rounded from being turned 1000 times over. The quiet brush of the trees above, the wind tossing their leaves back and forth. The stream in front of you quietly flowing. The noise like a child, moving her spoon back and forth in her soup, waiting for it to cool. Over the tiny waterfalls droplets of water attempt to fly.
When was the last time you tried a new food? Travelling to another country inevitably means having to adjust to a new food palette. Our group has grown to love the constant supply of rice and beans and after we leave Costa Rica I will long for fried plantains in the morning and milk cake for dessert. Learning about and sampling new foods contributed to our adventure, but that part of our experience doesn’t have to conclude when the trip does. We can explore local ethnic restaurants at home, and next time we’re at the grocery store, pick up an ingredient we’ve never heard of before. Food should keep its excitement no matter where we are.
When is the last time you thought that you might be seeing something for the last time? Hugging your grandparents goodbye, taking in their smell as you leave their house. Old age painted across their face and the weight of life bearing down on their shoulders. Seeing a green and red Resplendent Quetzal, rare and vibrant, camouflaged among the trees. Its long feathers twisting and turning in the wind, maybe taking a rest or perched near its nest. You may never see it again. Hidden among the dark and many branches, a green viper, holding onto and bracing against the winds. Maybe the next time you’d get to see a snake like this will be in a zoo. How about your own family? When is the last time you told them I love you.
When was the last time you donated money to a place you’ve never been to? When a class of Swedish primary school children heard about the deterioration of the Costa Rican rainforest from a visiting biologist in the 1980s, they decided to do something about it. The kids held bake sales and other fundraisers which exploded into a global story that generated enough money to purchase land in Costa Rica. This eventually led to the creation of the Children’s Eternal Rainforest or Bosque Eterno de los Niños. Though these kids had never stepped foot in Central America, they understood the imminent danger facing the forests and the risk to its biodiversity. Their investment continues to protect seven ecological life zones from agricultural encroachment. As citizens of a global age, we should strive to protect threatened environments all over the world, because human existence is contingent on the survival of species in all corners of the earth.
Nicole Pasho, Katie Kessler, Sarah Pereyra
Tropical Ecology in Costa Rica: Writing Nature 