What I learned - Part I
(The top 12 things I learned or observed in Costa Rica)

1. In Costa Rica, every day is a Monday . . . or a Tuesday if you like.
2. Cleanliness is a relative term.
3. Deterrence may be an overrated judiciary precept.
4. United States road crews do an excellent job of repairing potholes.
5. In Costa Rica, the term "beach access" is defined differently.
6. Roads do not necessarily have to lead somewhere.
7. After visiting Cabo Matapalo, I will never again say that I live, "in the middle of nowhere."
8. Livestock do not need a permit to graze or sleep on the highway.
9. US gas station bathrooms really aren't all that bad.
10. A career in road or bridge repair = "job security"
11. 60-passenger limit on flatbed trucks not enforced.
12. Reaction time of birds and dogs on the highway seems to support Darwin's theory of "Natural Selection."

What I learned - Part II

Costa Rica wasn't just a vacation or a getaway. I look upon every opportunity I have to travel as an opportunity to learn. Since I consider myself a student of life, and people, and places, and beauty, I always consider myself to be in school and Costa Rica was an excellent classroom. Pura Vida! means "pure life" in Spanish and according to some of the gringos I met during my stay, it has become a kind of "national saying." The locals even use it as a greeting instead of saying hello or what's up? Pura Vida also means "life down to its simplest form." It's the essence of Pura Vida that I think I learned the most during my visit. After my extensive studies of and obsession with Ecclesiastes, I find myself always searching for the essence of everything. Pure life for most in Costa Rica was a beer and some nachos while watching a perfect sunset fade past the sea. And I did enjoy the sunsets, because they were remarkable. Yet, the true essence of my trip was in the enjoyment of God's creation.

What is the essence of life for me? What is life at its very purest? Is it a never-ending quest for wealth, or power, or position, or accomplishment, or praise? Is it a search for love, or joy, or happiness, or ecstasy? It can be none of these things, for they all have the seeds of death in them. They are all are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. A short poem written by a local, printed in Dominical's only "newspaper" sums it all up nicely:

A Detouring Highway

My words are my wealth with this start I'll propose,
a sentimental reminder of what you already know,
that inside the cities where you can't see the sky,
where money's the master and without it you die,
dollars, and deadlines, competition, and greed,
wasting time in a race to obtain the things we don't need,
so many are clueless, brainwashed, and lost,
putting price tags on life thinking happiness costs,
down a detouring highway to this place I've been drawn,
for its sea breezes and sunsets for life's chatter at dawn,
beyond pictures and postcards mere words can't explain,
this magical mixture of sunshine and rain,
pure life at its best and it doesn't cost a dime,
my chains are now broken set-free heart and mind.
-"Kayak Joe"

So what is the essence of life for me? What is life at its very purest? Is it not the enjoyment of nature? Is it not sighing at a sunset so beautiful you cover your heart so it won't burst. Is it not looking at a starry night sky in awe? Is it not knowing that there is God in heaven that loved you so much that he created such beauty in the world for you to enjoy? It is all these things. Yes, this is Pure Life!