Life is like a journey with roads having many twists and turns. You never know what’s around each bend. For many folks, they have to wait until they get there to find out what shows up in their path. By the time some pilgrims realize that they are on a collision course, it might be too late to hit the reverse gear. Other pachydermatous persons might put up a gallant fight to make it across danger zones, just like zebras do while displaying fatal attraction, heading for the other side. It's down to a gamble and some are conquered while being in agglutination to ensure survival. Hence, throughout the history of human existence, many souls have been known to surrender their lives to save others. Meanwhile, there are individuals blessed with a clearer vision of what to expect, and therefore can be more prepared to deal with situations as they surface. These are like the expert players in a game of draught, the ones whose eyes are like those of an eagle, ready to spot opportunities to swallow up the whole draughtboard. One wrong move on the part of a party's opponent can cause a keen player to snatch his men like an opportunistic disease attacking its host. It's one of those silent games that demand concentration. Hence, a winning player might detect a move in advance and whispers a word of prayer for his opposition to fall for it. It's a reflection of real life where some people are blessed with wisdom a little more than others, and at times, we might need to put our lives in their hands. Essentially, we have to view it as a case where the pieces of the puzzle of life are scattered about the human race, and we are required to get social to put them together.

Still, others have been around longer and can tell from experience how to deal with whatever comes in the way, whether good or bad. These are not necessarily the best scholars among us, but instead, the grandfathers and grandmothers who are blessed with long life. They have seen it all and experience teaches wisdom. Head knowledge is important too, but without the practical application, it's like an aircraft flying on one engine, when it was built to operate using two. The use of two scenarios can put across the idea in plain language. A man can understand that a woman endures a lot of pain to bring forth a child. However, he will never comprehend to what extent it is so, simply because he will never experience it. Similarly, an individual might be able to imagine that it must be devastating when death steals one's mom. He will never get the full understanding until he faces that phobia when the time comes. That is why no matter who we are, nobody is above humility, and sometimes we have to put our grandiose knowledge on hold and listen to these older folks. Besides, age is honorable, which might explain why governments are failing miserably while they treat senior citizens with disdain. The aged individuals are archives in human form and should be treated like the treasure that they represent.

We sometimes find our paths etched with challenges that have the propensity to push us by the wayside. We look right and left and think these things are out to get us. Everything happens for a reason, even when that reason doesn't resonate well with our existence. That's because sometimes one man’s meat is another man’s poison. A volcano, for example, is one of the most dangerous catastrophes on the planet. That’s when we look at it from the angle of the health hazards it poses to those living in its zones. But the fertility that it brings for our natural vegetation, plus other vibrant activities that are consequently generated, reflect the kind of prosperity that people from different parts of the world will always remember to enjoy. The following video graphically represents the spinoffs from inhabitants having a volcano in view:

One look at Arenal volcano called Montana de Fuego, and we realize the things we have taken for granted in this life. In the face of adversity, the Costa Ricans took something negative and turned it into a positive haven. The volcano spewed larva and ash, but from its existence, the people activate a lifestyle that put the paradox in a beatiful moment of peril as a lively expectation. Ecotourism is at its peak in this picturesque country where the volcano could easily be mistaken as part of a deity, if only it existed in other cultures. Everything is pegged to Arenal, transforming references into signature statements. Besides, everything is linked to make life a success in all its associated ventures. There are tour buses taking people from town to the surroundings, turning these enterprises into a total community. From spas to swinging recreations, they're all intending to make use of one of nature's worst calamities. So we ask ourselves, why are some places that are not as perilous, struggling to get a hold of enjoying other forms of less treacherous beauty that they possess?

Perhaps the difference between the inhabitants of Costa Rica and people of other places is, that these natives keep looking at Arenal as a constant reminder that they should appreciate life itself, and all the resources that come with the package. Not only that, but there is something in it for everyone, in that there's enough to go around, if we only stop to use our five senses. But first, the Costa Ricans must take what they get because nothing is guaranteed to last for even a long time. In other territories, folks take it that their neighbors will be there for now and forever more, and rather than living a day as it comes, they compete with each other as each man for himself. In Costa Rica, friends could be there today and gone tomorrow, if an earthquake or a tsunami says enough is enough. Hence, it's like the people say 'let's feast today as if this is our last'.

This reminds me of a place called Saba in the Netherlands Antilles where I offered my service as an educator. On my first visit to the island, as the aircraft neared the destination, I saw a conical landform jutting out of the ocean. As far as I was concerned, I thought it was just an idle acre in the sea, where birds had their habitat. However, instead of passing over it, I realized that the airplane was losing altitude, with its nose pointing in the direction of the rock. When I was convinced that the pilot knew what he was doing, I started searching for the runway. Not even a sea gull could pick it up, never mind the naked eyes of a human being.

The capital of Saba is The Bottom, and with an accurate reason in reference to its location. It's a winding road to get there and in some places, it feels like little Down Under in the Caribbean. On one side, there is what looks like a bluff that is a slippery slope, dropping three hundred or more meters down to the ocean floor. And if you are walking or driving, there is just a little wall about the height of one's ankle, that separate the thoroughfare from the cliff below. Of course, two vehicles can hardly pass each other going in opposite direction, let alone overtaking. On the other side, the embankment towers up to the crater that many people think might not belong to an extinct volcano, since mist rises from it occasionally. Nevertheless, the inhabitants live comfortably, not wanting to be missing for even a day from their cherished paradise, dubbed "the unspoiled queen".

There is danger below The Bottom where the road passes under a mountain range that straddles the ocean from the southern end of the island. While I was there, a native traveling toward the port, was killed when a boulder came crashing down on the truck that he drove. The island has many mountain goats and from time to time they visibly roam the tip of the mountains, disturbing boulders and sending them almost 800 meters down into the valley. There is nowhere else for the rocks to lodge except smack in the middle of the roadway.

One Friday afternoon, I decided to travel to St. Maarten to do some shopping and sightseeing, and I had to take the small aircraft, Winair, the only one that served the island. We sat on the runway waiting for the wind to die down, and by the way, strong breeze is always a factor in that region. Very frequently in attempting to land, the pilot had to beat a hasty retreat, taking off again as immediately as he had landed, for fear of overrunning the airstrip. At times, the single engine plane was like a piece of paper that the breeze chose to toss at will. On that Friday evening, the weather was no different, so we had to wait our turn.

When the pilot finally decided to take a shot at taking off, we all held our breath. The airplane sped down the runway. Halfway we weren't airborn. Three-quarters of it and nothing was happening. Ninety percent of the spit covered, and we were stil on the ground! I was just about to say my final prayer when the plane lifted from the absolute tip of the shortest runway in the world. A wonder that overlooked a bluff, where the land immediately dropped 200 or more meters down to greet piles of boulders lining the ocean floor.

After living in (natives say 'on') Saba for one year, I learned to appreciate what I left behind in my hometown. I used to complain about the place where I grew up, decrying that it was full of mud during the rainy seasons. But after that encounter, I had to change my tune. I learned that life is all about making do with what I had. Quite often, we have a lot compared to others, but because we are busy demanding more, our resources are overshadowed. One morning I put a defunct printer that I had thrown in the basement, hoping I would find the time to find a way to dispose of it without my action affecting the environment. Then I got tired of seeing it in my corner, and decided to put it on the sidewalk to meet one Monday morning garbage pick-up. I was sure I hadn't put the useless piece of equipment there for more than ten minutes, when I noticed that it had disappeared, leaving the rest of junk in place. What can I say! Just when you think you are in a bad position, someone is still in one that's even worse.  Also refer to: http://hubpages.com/hub/Gone-Places.