return from the rain forest

I have just returned from Costa Rica where I was on a week-long retreat for women high in the South Eastern rainforest.  Boy, was it wet!  The jungle is amazing, though, full of sound and power and life.  We were there to regenerate and get back in touch with our senses, and we had a few mishaps along the way.  First, our leader dislocated a toe, then another woman dislocated her shoulder in the water and several ladies had fever/diarrhea/vomiting.  Even though i am a doctor, we needed a doctor!  Luckily, we found several indigenous angels to help us get to the medical clinics we needed and all vomiters recovered with little assistance...thank goodness.  

Anyway, I was somewhat restricted in what I was allowed to participate in having just had radiation on my hip lesion, so I settled in to have a reflective, quiet week exploring the retreat center and working with my new camera.  It worked; I really felt renewed, especially when I wasn' t worrying about whether the group would survive until the next day.  The women who lead these retreats are gifted community builders and story tellers, and these retreats are usually very special times to spend time in community with other women supporting each other and expanding our personal stories.  I love that idea and am really looking forward to working on my story a great deal.  We all sensed a great power in the jungle.  In fact, i often felt that I was being watched during the night--not in a scary way at all, but in a benign, supportive way.  We really could have had a great deal of trouble with all our injuries, but we found help and healing at every turn, and the power of the group and the place was palpable.

I went with a cane and a limited ability to do anything because of my radiated hip, but I ended up being the healthy one and helping others.  Perhaps there is a lesson for me in this--perhaps my power comes from somewhere inside, and not only from my athletic ability.  This isn't something I've believed in strongly, but I opened up a bit in Costa Rica and allowed the idea that this is true to percolate my layers like the rain on the jungle.  Maybe something is beginning to bloom!