My knife slides through the velvety flesh of an avocado, while the aroma of freshly ground coffee wanders out a window and steam rises silently from an old tin cup. The morning sun illuminates the intricacies in leaves bigger than my head, and I wonder at how the chorus of birds have convinced me that 5 a.m. is the perfect time to wake up. Every morning now seems to begin the same: roll out of bed, rest bare feet on smooth wood, and repeat to myself, “the jungle always wins.”

With that mantra in mind, I can take in the beauty and start to shrug off the little things, even the fist-sized spider that somehow found its way to the wrong side of my bug net. I can put the beans on to warm, fluff up last night’s rice, look out the window, warm cup in-hand, and forget about my phone since its battery is drained and paradise doesn’t seem to favor tech. I’ll lean forward into a deep bend and prep my body for the trek to find the old logger’s pony, the one with the long shaggy mane. I’ll saddle up like I used to in Kentucky, but this time I’ll be on my daily commute.

Somehow, it will all feel ordinary.

The thing about extraordinary experiences, I’ll realize, is that they can’t stay that way.

Soon, the passion flowers and toucans will feel like a neighbor’s dog, the pony’s slow trot like the rhythm of traffic on my old morning commute. As amusing as it is to imagine, it’s the best way to relay this experience to folks back home.

I’ll take a deep breath, throw on a raincoat, and thank God for the chance to change the commonplace, if only for a moment.

Chelsey Perron believes in travel, as it forces people to change their ordinary. She began her travel journeys in college and has now lived and traveled in 12 countries. Her resume is quite colorful, including everything from “cupcake decorator” to “marketing manager,” with plenty of outdoor adventures to fill in the gaps.  This post was written as an imaginative response to receiving a job offer at an off-the-grid community in Costa Rica. Since being offered that job, Chelsey has changed her plans and taken a position as a travel agent in another Costa Rican city. In this new role, she is “excited to practice gratitude for the simple things and continue to experience the incredible scenery and culture of Costa Rica.” http://www.girlenroute.com/