A Lesson from the Rainforest

After driving the bike down the winding jungle road into the rainforest, my girlfriend and I stood at the base of a staircase leading up into the mountains, wondering whether our lunch had been big enough give us the energy to make it to the top.
After a short climb up, we reached the viewing platform and looked out upon lush, green treetops and the tall mountains proudly standing above them. We admired the view and debated whether to climb the steps which lay ahead of us or to go back down and rest in the wooden hut we’d rented for the night. Of course, we did the only thing two travelers can do when hot, tired and in the middle of a wild jungle habitat… we climbed even further up the mountain.
The stairs seemed to stretch on forever. Only when they suddenly disappeared did we realise what a blessing those stone steps had been. The next leg of our journey would take us into the trees, walking on loose soil and large roots, following subtle arrows spray painted on the occasional tree.
Further and further into the jungle, we walked. Onward, deeper, between large moss covered boulders and spiny plants. At points, we discussed whether or not to turn back – a conversation which quickly evolved into pinpointing the moment when we passed the point of no return. We’d gone too far along this trail and had jumped down too many steep drops to turn back now.
Not knowing what was ahead of us, all we could do was remind each other to look up. Not emotionally… but physically. Too often do we concentrate too deeply on where we’re treading or what we’re doing or who we’re texting to really take in that which surrounds us in life. We were in the middle of a rainforest, under a canopy of extended leaves and between blooming bushes and streams of clear water, trickling their way down the mountain beside us. If we hadn't stopped and looked around for a while, we could easily have missed these beautiful scenes which would become such fond memories.
Since that day, we’ve always reminded each other to look up. Whether it be the architecture, the signs of daily lives about town, or the waterfalls hidden within the scenery whizzing past your window on the bus, beauty is easy to miss and is almost always better than the ground you’re staring at… or the same old Facebook posts you saw this morning.
For those who are wondering, we found our way out of the jungle and onto a road after about an hour in the rainforest. It took another hour to walk back to the beginning to get the bike.