Sabrina found magic again

She felt lonely. She is getting tired of the routine. Is there more to life ? What did she miss? Why is she not happy? Those thoughts went through her mind deep in the night as she was lying on her bed, unable to sleep. Her dogs barking at every sound from beyond the neighbours’ walls didn't help either. In a sudden decision, she got up and walked to her small desk that lit up with all of her work.

It was quite unusual for Sabrina to be awake at this time of night. She pushed through the pile of papers on her desk until she found one specific sheet with an idea scribbled across it. Her heart began pounding wildly as she read over each word carefully written there. There they were, ideas she had of all that she wants out of life. A beautiful home, successful career, happy family and so much more.

She had dreamt of travelling the world, becoming a famous writer and singer. She had dreamt of having a family and living in a house by the beach. She even dreamed of dancing at her children's weddings. And for all that she achieved, with tears in her eyes, she realized she always took it too seriously without taking time to enjoy them when they happened. Life was busy enough as it is; there were no moments to take away from her already hectic schedule to make room for celebrating these small successes.

“I think I’m finally growing up,” she thought to herself. She was at that point in her life where she had reached most of the milestones - graduation, marriage, kids who are now adults themselves. And the more time passed the more it seemed like there were fewer things left on her to-do list. But rather than relief, she felt an emptiness inside and nothing made sense anymore. “It doesn't matter what I do or how hard I work, it feels like something is missing. That spark that made life interesting. She felt like she was done and things would never be different.

Which was why life seemed so dreary now that she has reached them all. She realized it's time to make some changes; take more time for herself, enjoy what happens without taking anything too seriously because none of this lasts forever.

On a whim, she booked a one-way ticket to Costa Rica and left behind her home for an uncharted adventure. One month later, the adventurer found herself in the jungles of Central America where she climbed volcanoes and swam through cenotes until she finally felt alive again. She marvelled at how beautiful nature could be when it wasn't polluted with noise from city life. It seemed like everything around her had been holding its breath waiting for someone to come along and break down all the barriers between them again. it seemed like they were wondering who would be worthy enough this time because there had been many before her who were unable to live up to their expectations.

She walks through the forest every morning, enjoying the fresh air and the quiet. She has never seen anything like it. The trees are huge and ancient, their branches stretching high into the sky. The dirt beneath her feet is soft, powdered with tiny flowers and leaves. There are no street lights or traffic noises. It is dark, but not silent; she hears insects chirping and frogs croaking.

As she walked, she found herself looking up more often than usual -at squirrels playing in trees or owls hooting at evening time- but also paying close attention to the ground beneath her feet. This was where you find things that can't be seen anywhere else; tiny beetles scurrying about their business under tree roots, an occasional snail or worm poking out of a crevice in the dirt. She caught glimpses of rabbits hopping through bushes and heard birds twittering as they prepared for naptime.

As she followed the crunchy path, a leaf fluttered down from a branch and landed in front of her. She looked up to follow its flight but instead noticed movement from another direction. "Hey!" said a voice behind the leaves.

"Oh! Hi," said Sabrina back, surprised someone was around.

Peeking out from behind the leaves was a small boy, no older than six or seven. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

Sabrina paused for a moment, not really sure how to answer. "Just looking around," she said finally.

"Do you want to see my bugs?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

Sabrina smiled. "Sure!" she said, following the boy as he led the way through the underbrush.

He showed her his collection of bugs -a beetle, two spiders, and a few worms- and explained how each one worked. He would hold his hand out, palm up, and out would crawl a spider. He would let it crawl across his hand and up his arm, before calling it back with a snap of his fingers.

Sabrina was fascinated by everything he had to say, and she could tell he was very proud of his bugs.

"Do you want to see something cool?" he asked, after a while.

"Sure!" said Sabrina again. "What is it?"

The boy looked around, then down at all the leaves and twigs that covered the ground. He scooted until he was sitting cross-legged and reached forward. Summer leaned in to get a better look and saw that the boy had found a small scorpion.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with awe. "That is so cool!"

The boy beamed with pride. "I know, right?" he said. "I found it all by myself."

Sabrina was about to say something else when she heard a rustling in the bushes. She turned to see a rabbit hopping away, its tail twitching. "I think it's time for me to go," she said, standing up.

"Okay," said the boy, his face disappointed. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem," said Sabrina. "It was fun."

As she walked back the way she came, Sabrina couldn't help but smile. It was so nice to slow down for a bit and just take in the world around her. She felt like she had seen a little piece of magic, and she knew she would remember the boy and his bugs for a long time.