by Shirin McArthur | Sep 14, 2026 | Christianity, Society and Culture
We were in Costa Rica on August 2, which is the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels, honoring the country’s patron saint, popularly known as La Negrita. It’s estimated that as many as two million people—out of a population of 5.5 million people—participate in the Virgen...
by Shirin McArthur | Aug 31, 2026 | Conscious Living, Society and Culture
Do you prefer milk chocolate or dark chocolate? Most people have a definite preference. Then there’s the science, which says we should prefer dark chocolate because it’s healthier. Because of that science, some people feel they ought to say they prefer dark, even when...
by Shirin McArthur | Aug 24, 2026 | Nature and Seasons, Society and Culture
One afternoon, in the small town of Tortuguero, Costa Rica, our small band of travelers sat together on plastic chairs under a veranda alongside a small hotel and listened to Cloied Taylor tell stories as he cooked up his family’s recipe for coconut candy. Cloied grew...
by Shirin McArthur | Aug 17, 2026 | Conscious Living
One thing I learned while I was recently in Costa Rica is that ziplining originated there. A scientist who studied life in the tops of the trees (the “canopy level”) in the rain forest of Sarapiqui faced a lot of time, effort, and danger climbing up and down trees to...
by Shirin McArthur | Aug 10, 2026 | Conscious Living, Society and Culture
I recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica. I think the country is on many people’s bucket lists, and I certainly found it to be gorgeous and inspiring. In fact, it’s been called the world’s leading ecotourism destination, and their national motto is pura vida,...