Heaven

I hike a lot in the jungles of Panama, inspecting waterlines, tanks and springs. Most days, I’m so focused on where to safely put my boots next or solving the problems at hand that I don’t recognize the beauty around me. Then there are other days, like today, when the recent rains had washed the foliage clean and cooled the air and the sun was shining brightly in a crystal clear blue sky. And the stage was set.

As I walked up the trail, the canopy opened just a bit and a ray of sunshine poured through and landed warm on my cheek. I stopped in my tracks and suddenly my eyes opened to see a hundred subtle shades of green, the dazzling orange of a cacao pod and white flowering blossoms high in the towering trees; their slightly sweet scent permeating the air around me. I heard the calls of unseen birds and the rustle of lizards in the leaves. As I stood transfixed by the enormity and diversity and richness of all the life around me, I felt a smile of gratitude fill my face and wash over me.

In that moment, I was stunned by the certainty that Heaven is not some mythical place of fairy tale and religious dogma. It is a very real state of mind that is available right here on this extraordinary planet, if we will only open our senses, minds and hearts and let it in.