I’ve spent the past month immersed in nature, from the sea to the rainforest, surfing to tree planting. I have been praising this beautiful planet and feeling such gratitude to know my oneness with it. I am beyond blessed to have a soul sister tending some precious jungle land in Rincon, Puerto Rico. When I say soul sister I am not using the term lightly, Sophie Sunrise Dougher is the wildest woman I know and the day we met 12 years ago we knew we were soul-related and had work to do together. Fast forward a decade later and we discover that our great aunts were nuns together in the same order at the same time, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Their work was dedicated to educating young, underprivileged Native Americans and African American women. Sophie and I know deep in our bones and souls that we too have great work to do together for this beautiful planet we call home. We both live for nature and dedicate our lives to her wellbeing.

When Soph and I are together we are on fire, visioning, planning, building, and creating. We had about a million ideas in the course of a couple of weeks. But instead of doing, doing, doing we focused on observing the natural lay of the land, noticing where water flows, tracking the sunshine and identifying plant species. We were observing to learn how to live most easefully in synergy with this specific environment. We played with the most abundant renewable resources found on the land, bamboo, clay, turmeric and palms. We tested some building concepts including building a small wall for the outdoor kitchen out of bamboo. We first harvested and sliced a 40ft green bamboo tree, cut it down to 8ft lengths and soaked them in a boric acid bath for 3 days. Then we let them dry out and torched them in an attempt to make the bamboo more insect and weather resistant. We will wait and see how it endures the rainy season before continuing with this technique. Working in this fashion is challenging for me. Patience is a virtue that I was not naturally blessed with but instead a skill I am working on. A skill that I trust in time will pay off and make me a wise old woman someday.

There was so much to do in the jungle but also nothing was urgent. When I wanted to be slow and quiet, I spent my time experimenting with wild clay, bamboo trunks and palm leaves to make functional crafts. When I wanted to get moving and sweat, I planted tons of trees to help create a food forest for the future. I also built out the first of many water catchment systems to start harvesting rainwater. After 3 weeks of this simple open air living, sleeping in a tent, eating primarily what grows nearby (usually put into the form of tacos), bathing in the stream and getting in the ocean daily I was reassured that I am not meant for conventional living. I am an animal at heart and living close to nature is what my soul prefers.

After our time on land seven of us - four humans, a dog, a cat and a bird took off in a rugged old 4-Runner on a cross island adventure to visit some permaculture farms and explore other regions of PR. Soph is and has always been a good witch of the animals. She can communicate with them instinctively. They trust her and come to hear for healing. Whether it is an injured bird, squirrel or horse, I have seen her work her magic with many creatures. It is an honor and privilege to witness and learn from her in this regard. So, there we were, seven beings, four species, in one vehicle meandering our way across PR meeting other kind humans that are doing good things for nature while taking in PR’s colorful culture and diverse natural beauty. In a couple of days we reached the ferry terminal in Fajardo to cruise 20 miles off the mainland to the majestic island of Culebra where I stepped foot on some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet. We spent 4 days soaking in as much beauty and sunshine as possible. My personal favorite beach for lounging was Zoni, and favorite for snorkeling Carlos Rosario. But of course the ultimate beaches were the sneaky secret spots that have no names and can only be accessed by curious beings on foot.

After 4 days on Culebra we crossed over the bright blue Caribbean Sea back to the mainland of PR to visit El Yunque National Park, the only rainforest in the continental U.S. Driving into this region it looked like the plants were on steroids and I could instantly feel the ancient energy and wisdom of this area. I felt great awe and reverence for this region of PR. There is so much intelligence and cooperation going on from high up in the canopies to deep down in the soil. I envision myself returning to El Yunque to camp and learn for an extended period of time in the future.

El Yunque was the last planned destination of our adventure but there was one more spot that just happened to find me! I will share this with you in an upcoming blog. All in all this trip was a great reminder that in these modern anxiety induced times many have become estranged from nature. The boundaries and barricades we have created including living in houses that are disconnected from the natural ways and rhythms is a detriment to our health. Many of us have have forgotten that we are part of nature and nature is not trying to hurt us but instead trying to teach us, love us and communicate with us. Nature is the remedy we need to overcome greed, separation and anxiety. Somedays I reflect on living such a joyous, free, privileged existence when there is much heartache and suffering in the world. For many years I have harbored some shame for my joy and guilt for my freedom but in recent months I have come to fully embrace and accept it. I know my truth is that I want to see more joy and freedom in the world and the only way I can control that is through my personal choices, actions and experiences. I choose everyday to live a life of joy and freedom, to graciously receive my blessing and pay them forward.

Until next time live love and spread joy,

Mesa

An Off-Grid Puerto Rican Adventure