People are always envious that we live in Paradise, and while we find this viewpoint is often an oversimplification of the ins and outs of living in an underdeveloped, dirt-road town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Central America, we also need these same people to remind us that middle-of-nowhere or not, if we so choose, we can partake daily in things that prove to a certain extent that we live, if not in Paradise, at least in one of the more beautiful places in the world.

Lately, these reminders came in the form of a lovely and travel-ready friend of ours, who on the spur of the moment, decided that if I would stay in Atlanta for an extra five days, she would in turn, fly back to CR with me. I said okay, she got on her computer, and about half an hour later, we had her ticket, matched to mine and with a seat next to me on the plane.

Her real name is Katie, but I tend to call her Matty Jane, after a favorite grandmother of hers I would like to someday meet. Matty Jane spent her days here in dresses or a bathing suit, lounging by the pool, imploring us to go to the beach, go on the boat, go snorkeling, GET OUT of the house and away from our offices and computers. Her enthusiasm for the heat and the sun, for the beach and the forests around us was infectious and we came to see again, through her eyes, just how gorgeous the place is that we call home.

Much to our surprise though, the thing that has stuck with us from that visit was not foremost the gorgeous boat ride, replete with cocktails, sparkling water, frigate birds, body surfing and beach walking; or the rocky, deserted beach where we snorkeled; or the runs we took in Langosta; but our humble little outdoor shower.

Matty Jane pointed out to us that no sane person would ever shower inside, when one's other choice consists of a private, outdoor, poolside, ocean-view shower. She declared upon leaving that she believed she had only showered indoors once during her entire visit and she assured us that it was only because we had not fully explained her showering options.

So, thank you Matty Jane, for we have seen the error of our ways, and have begun to remodel our outdoor shower, because even though we are not necessarily the most sane of people, we do know a bit of Paradise when we see it, even if it has to be pointed out to us first.

Labels: garden, photo