I was travelling solo around Costa Rica — the first time I'd done anything like that since my younger years. I'd arrived mentally exhausted, in the middle of a significant period of change in my own life. I was already building a new business but hadn't yet found the heart of it.
One morning I rode my bike down an old road into the forest and came across a huge tree. The roots spread across the ground in every direction, heavy and ancient. The trunk was vast. Looking up, the canopy caught the light, leaves shining right at the top.
I mentioned to a local nearby that it was the most impressive tree I’d ever seen. She told me its name — Ceiba. The tree of life.