The view from my balcony
Leaving Everything Behind
Have you ever thought about making a major change in your life?
Would you like to experience new cultures, new languages, different types of food, and new landscapes?
Hellen Keller said, "Life is an adventure, or it's nothing at all."
Those words are so true.
Would you describe your present life as an adventure, or would you say that it's more like nothing at all?
What's the most significant change you ever made, and was it worth it? How did it work out for you?
Experience different environments
As a kid growing up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, I never saw a pine tree. I always wondered where they found trees that would grow tall and straight enough to make a power pole.
When I was watching cowboy movies, when someone died, they would get a shovel out and quickly dig a grave. I thought it was impossible to dig a hole with a shovel. It was hard enough to dig a hole with a pickaxe in the red clay I was familiar with.
This morning, while I was writing this, a neighbor came by and asked me if I could use any bananas. Bananas grow here like weeds.
There is just so much to experience in the world.
Have you ever wondered how people grow chocolate and what's involved in its production? You can't just plant a Hershey's bar and grow chocolate bars.
Get rid of your stuff, hit the road (or the air), and leave everything behind.
You don't need (or use) much stuff
Before I moved to Costa Rica, I got rid of everything that wouldn't fit into two bins I could check as luggage on a plane and a small backpack. That turned out to be twice as much stuff as I needed. Half of the things in each bin have not been removed. It's stuff I don't need.
Wherever you go, your problems go with you
That's a popular saying, but is it true? Maybe, maybe not. As Jimmy Buffett says in his song, "Changes in latitude, changes in attitude."
When you leave everything behind, you're free to leave your attitudes and worries behind, too. You can be a new you. Here in Costa Rica, nobody gets in a hurry. Everything can be done mañana. The word doesn't really mean tomorrow; it just means "not today."
Here's an example:
The timer on my clothes dryer stopped working. A repair guy came out, looked at it, and agreed that the timer needed to be replaced. He said he would get one and be back the next day to replace it.
That was over a week ago, and he hasn't been back yet. It's no big deal. I can still use the dryer. I just have to remember to turn it off when the clothes are dry. I'm sure he'll be back mañana.
As my grandma used to tell me, "I know that worrying helps because most of the things I worry about never happen."
The view from my balcony
The picture at the top of the page is the view from my balcony. I'm up on the mountain at 4,500 feet elevation, nestled in the coffee fields, and the lights in the picture are the central valley area about 2,500 feet below me.
On the left side is San Jose, about 40 miles away, and on the right is my little town of Grecia (population 16,000), about 10 miles down the mountain.
Bottom line: Consider leaving your stuff and worries behind. Change your attitude and be a different person. Moving to a different place makes it easier, but you can make the changes right where you are. All that's required is for you to decide to change your life. You can do it.
Remember what Hellen Keller said, "Life is an adventure, or it's nothing at all."