You don't always need to be productive

I like to get up when it starts to get daylight.

This time of year, that's at about 5:00 a.m. here in Costa Rica. There's no daylight savings time change here, and since I'm closer to the equator than when I'm in the U.S., there's not much difference between when the sun rises in the summer and winter.

Getting up early doesn't mean I always get to work on a project early. Some mornings I do, and I'm eager to get back to where I left off on a project.

Early mornings are my most creative time. But, some mornings, I like to take time just to be in the moment.

My house is on the side of a steep mountain, so even though my front porch is at ground level, my back balcony is about 20 feet off the ground overlooking the Central Valley 2,000 feet below.

Sometimes I like to sit there on the balcony with a cup of coffee, listen to the birds, and just enjoy the moment. The Central Valley looks barren in the daytime, but at night it lights up like a Christmas tree.

One of my favorite birds here is the Toucan

That's the bird pictured at the top of the page. He's what I like to call the Fruit Loop bird because that's the bird you see on a box of Fruit Loops.

The bright green parrots are another bird I like, but they don't come and land on my balcony rail. When they come, they usually land in a nearby tree.

They travel in flocks. Sometimes there are 50 or more in a flock, and they are extremely loud. They're pretty, but I'm usually glad when they leave because they're so loud.

I keep reminding myself that I don't always have to be productive. Hiking and playing my fiddle are two other ways I like to clear my mind and recharge my batteries.

Sometimes it's good to slow down and admire the surrounding things.

Here's something to think about? You don't need money to change your life—you just need courage.

Bottom line: As Winnie the Pooh said, "Sometimes I sits and think, and sometimes I just sit." I think we would all be more relaxed, happier, and probably more productive in the long run if we did what he does.