Blog
“I decided to create this blog to share experiences, reflections, and ideas. I write with much love for people and nature. I hope that at least some of these writings are useful in your lives.” – Jessica Sheffield Zamora, Founder and Director of Guardians of Nature.
Relaxing in our limitations
Monday, February 19th, 2024
By Jessica Sheffield Zamora
Over time, I’ve come to realize that although determination and perseverance are strengths, they can also become weaknesses or limitations if not utilized properly. Allow me to illustrate what might sound contradictory, with a concrete example from my life.
When I moved to Nosara, Guanacaste, I noticed the serious problem of solid waste in my community. An open-air dump was the destination for waste from the entire district. With the increasing population in this beautiful coastal town, “the dump” grew uncontrollably.
There were times when this monster overflowed onto the road. Tractors were needed to push the waste back into the forest. It caught fire on several occasions. While pregnant with my daughter, Lucía, I had to leave my house almost suffocating from toxic fumes, which sometimes lasted for weeks. Its leachates or liquids generated by the waste mixture posed a threat to the valuable underground water resource of the community.
The waste from this dump reached the Nosara River and then the sea, carried by the rain. It distressed me to think of the negative impact on people and animals, even on the natural spectacle that occurs in the area: the arrival of hundreds or thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles.
In those years, around 2008, a group of concerned neighbors gathered. We decided to create an association to seek solutions. Thus, Nosara Recycles was born.
To start, we decided to create a recycling center, as 50% of the waste that reached the dump could be recycled. There was great collaboration from the community in creating this center. In addition, we carried out cleaning and education campaigns so that residents, both local and foreign, separated recyclable materials from their homes.
Although we achieved some important victories, the open-air dump continued to grow. Education takes time and the rapid growth of the community surpassed us.
Since our first meetings, we began to knock on the door of the municipality, which by law is responsible for solid waste management in the country, in search of a collaborative solution. For a decade, I visited the mayor and the municipal council of that time, despite the two-hour distance on very bad roads. I always conveyed the same message to them: they had an ally willing to solve this problem. Let’s do it together! However, year after year, we received promises of collaboration that did not materialize into concrete actions.
Despite the difficulties, we continued working within our means. We improved processes, sought buyers for recyclable materials, collected donations to pay center workers, mostly women, and continued to raise awareness in the community. However, the open-air dump continued to grow.
Understanding the magnitude of the problem, which not only affected people and nature in my community, nor only at a national level, but was a global challenge, led me to write my first book for children: “The Guardian of Nature and her Friends Save the River”. I thought, as I still do, that to stop this war against nature, we must start in the classrooms. Educating children creates change today, and when they become future politicians, businessmen, etc., they will have even more influence to do things differently.
I confess that during this struggle, which further developed my perseverance muscle, I found it difficult to sleep and anxiety enveloped me. It was hard for me to understand why I suffered from chronic gastritis even when taking care of my diet. Thinking that I, Jessica, carried the problem on my shoulders and had to figure out what to do and how to do it, affected my physical and emotional health. The stress I experienced was so much that when we were close to receiving municipal support, and another obstacle arose after ten years of not giving up, my husband had to take me to the local clinic. It was a moment of despair.
Some time later, the work paid off, and finally the municipality took charge of collecting the waste to dispose of it in a landfill, but during that time, I experienced great anguish.
That is why I decided to title my experience “Relaxing in our limitations”. Today I continue to fight to improve education and protect natural resources through nature-based education in collaboration with other people and organizations. There are always obstacles. But today I do it without wearing out and neglecting my physical and emotional health. My secret: strengthening my spirituality. Knowing that I am not alone, that God helps me, and that I am just an instrument allows me to lighten the load.
This approach has not only helped me sleep better and take care of my health, but it has also enhanced my ability to achieve my goals. I no longer act driven by my limited power. I feel guided, accompanied, and supported at all times by an unlimited power.
The humility that comes from changing the focus from wanting to be superheroes of our homes, businesses, or causes to being instruments of the Creator of the universe to serve our families, collaborators, community, or causes with the help of God results in having a greater impact on those we love while cultivating that internal peace that Jesus taught us.
I hope that my testimony can help others who are struggling with anxiety and despair. Do not carry your cross alone. My mother always taught me that when we are with God, God is with us. I invite you to pray and ask for that help so you too can relax in your limitations.
