Pura vida from Costa Rica.
I’m in a cabin next to the small town of Cahuita on CR’s east coast. It’s about 20 kilometers north of where I was before in Puerto Viejo.
Here’s a map.
This is a nice place, although I’ve been mainly on my own. Here are more photos.
Puerto Viejo was cool, but I felt like I was a bit out of place among mostly younger people and travelers. I kept trying to explain where I’m “from” and what I’m doing with my future plans and realized…
I’m not quite sure!
Let me rephrase that: I’m confused as hell.
I’ve ended up taking some right turns in life and a lot of wrong turns and dead ends. But what confuses me is that looking at the foundation of decisions which turned out to be well made reveals something shocking:
There was no certain intuition, clarity or definite steps that led to good decisions.
And the opposite often proved true for poor decisions that led to misery and stagnation: I felt excited about them beforehand and sure they would pay off.
All of that led to some hesitation to trust my gut instinct or even logic…
Since the things that worked best for me like volunteering in Georgia, reporting on the New Hampshire primary, traveling around writing in Europe and the Middle East and so on … were all something of a wild card choice.
Most of the best things that have happened to me in life have come towards me once I took action in pursuit of my interests.
Most of the indifferent and out of place experiences in life have come towards me when I sought out my idea of what I should do or what was the logical choice.
My point here is that I know what I want but I’m not sure how to get or keep it.
Here’s a list of Paul’s Hierarchy of Needs:
Feeling of intense belonging and group mission (in progress)
Wife and family which I love (❌)
Fulfilling work and career (✅)
Physical health and mental wellbeing (5️⃣0️⃣%, I’m still overweight since leaving keto and my stability fluctuates).
That’s it. I know it’s a bit of a tall order, though…And at the end of the day I’m not so much “looking” for those things as noting that they’re the necessary ingredients of my own ability to contribute to the world.
Having said that, a feeling of lack of belonging and frustration in the romantic department are also opportunities to let the disappointment and alienation make me a stronger person.
The Poll
Nonetheless, I’m thinking about what to do next geographically. I’d appreciate your vote!
Without further ado, here’s the poll.
It’s on Twitter, so you’ll need that. If you don’t have Twitter no problem. Just comment or email me your choice.
I’ll announce the results next post.
Pura vida.
I feel the same way: all the best things in life just sort of happened without being planned, but when I pursued something good that I loved. My problem is the exact opposite: Loving Wife and Kids, check. Fulfilling job: blank. But I "abide" my job so I can provide for them.......which I love doing.....
My vote: Brazil. Buy property. And sometime soon, visit the Southeast US.