I love to explore Panama’s natural spaces and on occasion I write near them. Our Cascada Esterillo hike, near Sora, was particularly beautiful as we trekked through the tall-treed forest and used ropes to lower ourselves down the steep decline to a spectacular waterfall.
Yonathan, our guide, told me he found quartz on a previous hike to these falls. I’d been keeping my eye open for treasure ever since an old man at the El Valle market, who sold rocks and crystals, told me he found his eclectic collection while hiking. A gatherer of shells, sea glass and stones, I searched for a piece of quartz amid rocks while the other hikers chatted.
After finding none, I ate and swam. Fuel and a cool dip were just what I needed before the trek up. I stood in the chilly water below the waterfall, my arms raised, the spray sprinkling on my face, and I expressed my gratitude. I thanked the Earth for all her gifts and the refreshment they bring and I asked her for a token to remind me to remain grateful.
Hiking up the steep incline was a challenge. My boots grew heavy and sweat ran down my back. We slowed our pace and stopped so a few hikers who had overestimated their ability to make this trek could rest, me checking my phone for the time and battery strength. I did not want to hike up the last steep incline in the dark without a flashlight.
Twice, Yonathan handed a hiker a piece of quartz he found on the trail, their white edges alight when held to the sun. I kept searching, preferring to find my own treasure, perhaps one he overlooked. And I thanked the Earth again, this time for the flowers, fungi, and butterflies that flitted about the steep incline I willed my tired self to climb.
When we reached the end of the trail, I sighed with relief and though I found no quartz, I thanked the Earth for what she had given me—fresh mountain air to breathe, cool river water for bathing, an invigorating waterfall to appreciate, and rigorous exercise.
For now, these were gift enough.
Later, I related my trek to my writing. When finding the right words becomes a slog and the ongoing book marketing gets arduous, I can take time for refreshment, be thankful for what I´ve accomplished instead of disheartened for how far I have to go, and search for gems along the way.
Early the next day, I set out on my morning beach walk. A few clouds painted brownish stripes across the golden orb rising above the horizon, making it look like Jupiter.
Orange light spread across the sky and a ray glinted off something laying in the sand as a wave receded. It was a piece of quartz. Irregularly heart-shaped, white with black spots, the piece fit in the palm of my hand. I held it to the light and thanked the ocean and the Earth for their gift.
They say that when the full moon charges quartz it can restore, amplify energy, and give emotional stability. Before I write, I place my quartz heart in the moonlights’ bright glow, hold it in my palm
and sense its power.
Some time later, Marilyn, another beach comber, who knew I collected rocks, asked me if I liked the one she found. I held it up to the rising sun and said, “That’s not a rock, that’s quartz. You found a gem.” Then she gave it to me as a thank you for the volcano shells I collected for her wind chime.
When held to the light, the quartz looks like the Jupiter sun.
