How a Control Freak Learned to Live la Pura Vida
Lessons learned from life in Costa Rica
Pura Vida — two words that have become synonymous to Costa Rica, capturing so fittingly its essence and beauty. A national slogan that encapsulates its way of living, one that favours connection, nature, joy, simplicity, peace, while declaring a relaxed attitude towards everything else. Sounds pretty magical, right? I was determined to live it. Be it.
Well, I’ve come to realize — beautiful in concept, not so easy to adopt. Especially for a control freak like me.
Growing up in a fast paced world, I subscribed to values like productivity, convenience and certainty. I was professionally trained to excel at things like multitasking, organizing, planning, thus controlling my world to create order and minimize risk. But none of these skills (nor stiff jargons) would prove useful in my pursuit of la Pura Vida. In fact, they cramped my style bigly.
So, I made some simple adjustments:
“Faster does not equal better”
Getting anything done and on time here is a crapshoot, and some things downright don’t make sense (I’m looking at you, bus system). I’ve come to grasp that in Costa Rica, “later” could mean “tomorrow”, “two days” actually means “one week” and scheduled timelines are mere suggestions. My stickling ways clashed vehemently against the slow tempo and lawlessness of this new world. My sanity suffered.
I questioned my narrow views of how things needed to unravel according to my preference and on my timeline. I saw that just because things are not done in the most efficient way (according to me) does not make it inherently wrong. Shocking. I gradually relinquished my obsession and insistence on saving time, being on time, being faster, doing more in less time… Eventually, I slowed down and adjusted to the flow and rhythm of the chaotic order here. Peace ensued. In between waiting, I found time to go to the beach and ponder things like “What is time anyway” and “what the hell was the rush”.
“The unknown can be fun”
Throughout the many curveballs and inconveniences that life in Costa Rica has presented, I’m still alive, healthy and well-fed. In fact, life is pretty great. My westernized mind was programmed to fear the unknown. The element of surprise was fun as it related to birthdays and presents, but not when it came to missed buses and getting lost because of it. But the fears of being stranded or swallowed by the jungle, have mostly been thwarted by fortuitous encounters, fun adventures and stories of a lifetime.
As I build confidence in myself and the Universe with the reminder that somehow, some way, things have always worked out and in the most magical ways, I trust that in all likelihood, my unknowingness will not end in calamity. Perhaps I don’t need a 10-step fail safe plan to live well after all. Predictability is safe, but living curiously alongside the unpredictability of life has proven to be more rewarding and fun.
“Listen to the ocean”
Upon relieving my mind of its time management and risk averting duties, something else happened. My senses heightened and I came to savour more fully the ample beauty around me, whether it be the sound of the waves, the graze of the breeze or the juiciness of the mangos. Enjoying the moment is an important tenant of Pura Vida after all.
The more I did though, the more my senses became acute. Amidst the lush jungles with its plethora of stimuli to provoke the senses, I could feel myself infused by Nature’s wisdom. Like an ineffable sense of knowing, effortless and natural, vibing through my body rather that conceptualized in my mind. Score. It’s as if I had tapped into a piece of insider knowledge. Perhaps it is this awareness that the locals share, the ability to ease and flow so gracefully to the rhythm of bristling leaves and ocean waves, that make them so damn chill.
Alas, I have much to learn and my pursuit of la Pura Vida shall continue. Fortunately, Costa Rica with its plenitude of surprises, beauty and magic, is a perfect playground for eroding my dysfunctional controlling ways and replacing them with the purity of Life.
