Michele writes…… Tonight I blog from the hot tub overlooking the lake after an amazing massage.

My favorite thing I saw today: watching the lake wake up (more on this later), my favorite thing I ate today: Desayuno at Cafe Sabor Cruceno (an NGO… check it out https://www.amigosdesantacruz.org/restaurant/.  My favorite thing I did today, was old people yoga on my porch overlooking the volcano. And lastly my favorite thing I heard today….”I’ve learned more Spanish being here two days than I ever did in school.” This is what this trip is about. Being here,  being present,  forcing ourselves outside of our comfort zone, and being able to fully present to experience another culture.  It’s about effort and not perfection.  Though we all aspire to be great, there’s power in acknowledging the difference between finding our own unique greatness and the desire to feel and be perfect.

Watching the lake wake up….. is by far my favorite time of the day on the lake. If anyone knows me you know that I am far from a morning person… but here on the lake I crave the morning.  The lake is silent first thing in the morning in every sense of the word.  There are no waves, as it’s smooth as glass out there,  there’s no boats,  there’s no people,  just the sun breaking its way thru and the sound of birds all around you. It’s honestly surreal.  Then without warning the lake wakes up… and the waves start and the boats start traveling,  and people start walking the path to work,  and….. the lake wakes up. But for just a few moments right at day break… the world is still.  No movement,  no chaos,  nothing to be done,  but to sit in the stillness. This is peace.