Live Marvelously.

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. 

(Aristotle)

There are certain memories from my childhood that are a blur and yet others are so crystal clear its as though I just lived that moment.

The scenic picture above was from a vacation hubby and I took to Puerto Rico in 2006. Two years pre-babies. If you've ever been to Puerto Rico, you'll know that to get across town, you typically have to travel across at least one of many winding or hilly roads. It's along these roads that you can look to your left or your right and see scenery like this. 

Although Puerto Rico has become much more commercialized over the past two decades, I vividly remember my stays there as a kid. I would spend my summer vacations in a small town called Trujillo Alto, with my grandmother Abuelita or my aunt and uncle, Titi Lucy and Tio Manuel. My sneakers and jeans would quickly find a home underneath the bed and get replaced with much more convenient flip flops and cotton shorts. 

I remember life was simpler then. I would spend my days with my cousins climbing trees, hunting down mangoes, or racing to the river behind Tio Manuel's property. Sometimes we would sneak into my neighboring uncle's property and feed the pigs on his farm. We had fun. We lived. I also remember never playing video games or watching TV. Nature surrounded us and everything we did. 

On some days, Tio and Titi would make arrangements to take us to a nearby stream to swim for the day. I remember how cool and refreshing the water was. How the large, slippery rocks would transform into our water slides. Or sometimes we would go to the local beach and spend the day building sand castles, resting from the moments we were skipping through the clear, blue ocean waves. On special days, Tio would take me to the nearby brook to bottle water for the next few days. We would wait our turn under the almond tree. As we waited, Tio would crack the fallen almonds with a rock and we would share our treat.

In Puerto Rico, I lived differently. Closer to nature. Life was simple but balanced. Time didn't exist. We let the sun and the daylight lead our days activities. It was peaceful. Marvelous. It was through these moments as a child that I learned to appreciate nature. Live with nature. 

My hope is that somehow my children will get to live and love nature in our busy hustle bustle New Jersey life. That somehow, we can sift through the commercialism and find nature. That we take the time to visit a NJ farm. Get around to plant our garden. Or organize ourselves enough to go on hikes on a nearby trail. My goal is that we take the time to be in nature. Live with nature... and live marvelously.