The Waterfall

The light seeping through the high canopy was a soft, shifting green. Below the hanging vines, large, broad-leafed plants sat enormous and unmoved but for the landing of a bird or the leap of a frog. In the deep, cool undergrowth, the plant world stuttered with the life of animals. Here, in the light and in the shadows, the vibrancy of colors hummed.

A trail of leaf-cutter ants crossed the path before me. In the distance, I could hear a faint hiss and spray of a waterfall. The air even had the smell of fresh water. Somewhere further in the distance, a raging brook, gurgling and rushing, the force of the water knocking and tumbling stones.

As I walked along the path in this rainforest eco-reserve in Costa Rica, my soul became lighter. Thoughts of my recently failed marriage easily floated away. Since the divorce, I had spent a year travelling and hiking alone, gaining back some of the fitness of my youth. My skin was darkly-tanned, and I had grown more muscular and lean. As I walked in sandals, shorts and no shirt, the rope-like muscles in my arms and legs looked impressive. Even my abs had recently begun to show. I looked good and felt even better; I was getting my life back! I said to myself.

After a few more moments of walking, I could make out a clearing in the canopy overhead, not far off. Light poured down through a mist-filled gap in the trees. This...