September 2nd, 2023: Greetings from Calgary! As a family, we finally made it back up to my birth town to visit family, go to a wedding, and see the beauty of Banff. 🇨🇦
Imagine a world without clocks.
When I was in Costa Rica, a friend asked a local something:
“How long does it take to hike to the waterfall?”
The girl said she had no clue. Even though she knew exactly where the waterfall was. For her and many people in Costa Rica, they don’t have a concept of time.
Everything is relaxed and free-flowing.
They have a saying you may have heard before: pura vida.
It literally means “pure life.”
But you hear it everywhere. Goodbye. Hello. Thank you. No worries.
Sometimes, people even use it to greet each other passing by.
Earlier in the trip, I met a local on the plane ride to Costa Rica.
He told me that it means “don’t worry. Just live life.” He also added:
“Everyone has their own problems, but we just don’t worry as much.”
Relax and take it easy, he told me.
The Superhuman on the Plane
On the plane ride to Costa Rica, I met a local returning from a visit to his daughters in America.
He looked maybe 58 years old. Bald, but healthy-looking skin. No wrinkles and a nice shiny tan. Then I came to find out that he had a great grandson.
Shocked, I asked him hold he was.
71.
I asked him about his life. Born in Costa Rica, he eventually moved to the US for more job opportunities.
“The US has been very good to me.”
He moved to the US when he was 18. He worked at Dallas Fort Worth Airport for 18 years. Then he transitioned to dry cleaning. He retired six years ago and lives in Costa Rica now with his wife.
I asked him his secret to looking so young.
He told me that he doesn’t drink or smoke, and he goes to bed early. He likes to hike in the mountains and stay active.
Pura vida.
He seemed really happy. Slowed down. Happy to be in conversation with a stranger on the plane.
Maybe that’s why Costa Rica is one of the blue zones, the regions across the world where people live the longest. Less stress. Not worrying too much about being late. Eating healthy. Not too much drinking or smoking.
But also not feeling ashamed about missing out on other lifestyles.
Which ties back to stress.
This reminds me of how the billionaire Warren Buffet drinks Cherry Coke every day, but he’s still alive in his 90s. Maybe he’s still alive because he has a couple of hobbies that help him mitigate stress outside of work.
Based on these reflections, “pura vida” not only means “pure life” but is another way of reminding each of us to stress out less, be present, smile, and treat everyone like they’re your friend. To define what a good life for you is and don’t worry about missing out.
Pura vida,
Baxter
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