Rancho Santana, Nicaragua

Date: January 15, 2024

Returning to the place where my creative path began—this time with Juni. On our first night, we stood barefoot on the sand, watching baby sea turtles crawl toward the waves, released gently under the glow of the moon and stars. Just when we thought the magic had peaked, we were told a mother turtle had come ashore that very same night. We walked quietly down the beach and watched her lay her eggs, carving a nest with instinctual grace. Birth and return—one generation beginning its journey, another completing hers. The circle of life, raw and unscripted.

A few days later, we traveled to Ometepe Island, where twin volcanoes rise from Lake Nicaragua like ancient sentinels. There, time moved slower. We bathed in the healing waters of Ojo de Agua, floated beneath the canopy, and felt all urgency dissolve. One morning, we hiked through thick jungle to reach San Ramón Waterfall, the air thick with the sound of birds and howler monkeys calling through the mist. The falls poured down the cliff like a breath from the heavens.

Nicaragua reminded me that some places don’t just stay with you—they shape you. The rhythm of this land—tide, time, tenderness—revealed again that beginnings are often disguised as endings, and that sacred moments arrive when we least expect them.