Week one in Costa Rica

I have been in Brasilito, Costa Rica (in the province of Guanacaste) for one week. I am still trying to get used to the heat, the language, and the pace of life – hint: it is much slower than what I’m used to. I am exceptionally lucky that my childhood friend, whom I have always considered a cousin, calls this place home. It means I can follow his expert advice about what and where to eat, which places to see, where to stay. Decisions are simple and I find myself easing into this dolce far niente life with surprising ease.

Earlier this week, a friend asked what surprised me so far about my experience – an excellent question which merits some thought. Although I only left Canada one week ago, I am surprised to find it easier than I thought to slip into a “do what I want to do, not what I have to do” mindset. And what I currently want to do is live in the moment and just be. For all the worry and anxiety I had about what I would do with all this free time, it turns out that not doing much of anything is remarkably… satisfying.

I am a human being not a human doing. – Kurt Vonnegut

I admit it feels a little strange to not cross things off checklists (or have checklists), not have to be anywhere at a certain time, not worry about calendars and conflicting meetings, not rush from one thing to the next (rushing in this heat – ha!) but I find myself not missing it. At all. Yet.

I am still task-driven – today’s lofty goal was doing laundry (check!) and I suspect that will never completely go away, but I am going to lean into this new way of being, see how far it takes me.

No major shenanigans this past week, here are a few of my experiences:

I hope you enjoyed this first post – I will continue to share my adventures in the coming weeks and months. And hey, if you have any questions you’d like me to answer or would like to receive a postcard from my travels, let me know in the comments!