My last post included some details about my recent anniversary trip to Cancun. Let me just warn you… there’s more than one post to come out of that trip. I’ll try to space them out a bit, but this one I feel like sharing now.
As Matthew and I ventured on down the beach from our hotel, we could see in the distance that it ended in a small rocky peninsula and on it stood a small lighthouse. It was quite a ways down the to it, but we decided in the spirit of not missing out on anything, to go exploring.
When we finally arrived, we ignored the sign that said it was “Private Property”, and ambled up from the beach into what I can only describe as Gilligan’s Island.
The trees were lush, and there were little paths that indicated we were not the only ones to have ignored the sign.
As we walked along a path, ducking under tree limbs and stepping around branches, we decided this would be a perfect habitat for iguanas. We had not seen any on this trip as we had on previous trips to the area. Iguanas are huge lizards native to Mexico. I can remember seeing one at another resort years earlier that was easily three feet long.
We began searching around for them. Surely this would be the ideal place for an iguana. I know if I were an iguana I would consider this prime real estate.
However, we soon discovered a problem. We didn’t have any shoes. Away from the surf, the ground was HOT. Still, I was determined not to be left behind, and I didn’t want to miss anything- be it an iguana or something else. But soon, sandy ground gave way to rocky ground- hot, sharp, rocky ground, and the farther I ventured out onto the small peninsula more difficult it got.
Matthew is a much more determined sort than me, and he had gone on ahead to check out the area, but I had had enough. I hobbled back to the sandy ground, and found a place to sit in the shade to wait for my tough-footed explorer-husband to return. Someone had placed a short length of wood across two stumps and made a make shift bench. It was the perfect place to wait. I had a beautiful view of the ocean and the lush vegetation.
Soon enough, Matthew came back and sat down with me on the bench.
It seemed we would not be seeing any iguanas on this trip. We had searched high and low for one, but had found none. As we sat there quietly enjoying our peaceful paradise together, out from the brush… ambled… an iguana. It was not a huge one; maybe eighteen inches long from nose to tail. Not huge, but big enough.
We both found this funny. I mean, we had searched in earnest for one, and then while we sat there contemplating our failure to find one, out it strolled right toward us. Right toward us! Yes, it was walking right for us as if it had something to say. The closer it got, the more nervous I got.
I pulled my feet up onto the bench and began to freak just a little.
We sat there, still and quiet, waiting to see what he would do next. The iguana crawled within a foot of where we were sitting. I wondered if he was going climb up on the bench and have a seat. After a long moment’s pause, he turned and crawled off to our right and down the well-worn path. Whew! It was both thrilling and freaky at the same time.
We got up and followed the iguana for a while and soon discovered another one, and then another. So this was an iguana paradise!
That was just about the neatest thing that had happened to us in a while. I’m pretty sure there’s an everyday epiphany in there somewhere… The Bible talks about seeking and finding, and about waiting patiently on the Lord… What do you see in there? Help a sister out… connect a dot or two here…