Jungle Fever by Susan Menahem 4.14.2011

     After a dog eats a hallucinogenic cane toad his heart pounds as if it were going to explode.  This causes excessive panting, he has an endless stream of foam pouring from his mouth, he loses all control over any of his limbs and for all intents and purposes he is on one great big acid trip that lasts for about 8 hours. How do I know this? I know this because the German Shepherd that lives at the lodge where I stayed in the middle of the jungles of Belize had eaten such a toad and was on an incredible trip the first night I was there. I can now also tell you what happens when a cat gets stung by a scorpion, what to do when you accidently disturb a female tarantula who is protecting a huge sack of eggs and how to recognize and not get bitten by poisonous snakes. I had no intention of learning any of these things but when you plop yourself in the middle of the jungle for 7 days it kind of goes with the territory.

     What I was intending to do was to get back to nature, to see exotic plants, birds and animals and to generally take a break from our hectic and fast paced way of living. That much, I’m happy to say, I also accomplished. Morning excursions began with breakfast at the crack of dawn and the day’s activities ended with an early dinner, exhaustion and a self imposed bedtime that even a third grader would protest.

     When I got back home to New Jersey, after unpacking, I automatically popped on the TV set for background noise and immediately checked my email, retrieved all of the messages from my cell phone, began sorting through the incredibly large pile of mail that had accumulated during the week I was away while at the same time creating a list for the food shopping trip that was to happen as soon as the bills were paid.

     And then I felt it. It began as a subtle creeping feeling in my stomach, it traveled upwards towards my neck and shoulders and took up permanent residence in my temples causing my head to throb. I had not yet been home for more than 6 hours and I had already plugged myself back in to the hectic onslaught that I retreated to the jungle to escape. Was it just habit or truly a way of life? Regardless, the peaceful relaxing feeling that had felt so wonderful just one short day ago was already gone. I was on “gotta do” overload.

     That was not a state of being that I was going to agree to tolerate anymore. I’ve decided to bring some things back that I learned while being in the jungle. There is time for breakfast. It doesn’t have to be eaten while we are in the car on the way to work or while we’re multitasking doing 7 other things. Phone messages will be returned, emails will be answered, bills will be paid. But the world can wait an hour while we give ourselves respite – weather that be in meditation, reading a chapter in a book, watching the sun rise, playing with the dog or doing yoga (just because we enjoy it and not because we think we’re fat). The TV set doesn’t always have to be on and “quiet” can be a wonderful place. We just need to give ourselves permission to unplug for a little while, to include “relaxing” on the “to-do list” to take an hour off from the hustle and bustle of our lives and to reconnect with the peacefulness that we usually go away on vacations to find. An hour a day or a few hours a week is really all it takes.

     The hours may not be easy to find. We may have to break a few commitments, limit TV time, take a day off a week from the gym or ask the kids to play by themselves for a while. But it’s worth it and it’s needed. We just have to give ourselves the permission, realize the importance, accept the challenge and unplug for a while. And, as I can attest, taking a few hours off a week at home to unwind is a lot safer than dodging a hallucinating German shepherd in the middle of the jungle!!