23 Years

I feel really godo about 23 so far. I'm a blank slate for the new year, a white page. To honor having lived 23 years today, here is (of course) a list (!) of the top 10 things I"m thankful for since July 18, 1988:

1. 1.       The goodness, wholeness, messiness, silliness, craziness, beauty, loveliness of my entire King, Sering, Vaught, Theis, Tomlinson, Kirkland, Meyer family. I love you.
2. 2.       God being good, but not easy.
3. 3.       My many best friends throughout the ages who make this entire life worth living. I mean it really is incredible how many people have changed my life with their friendship.
4. 4.       The ability to experience life with all 5 (+!) healthy senses.
5. 5.       The fact that I have 17 years of diverse formal education under my belt and 23 years of learning the harder way.
6. 6.       Knowing what a sunset looks like over Antarctic & Alaskan glacial waters, Pacific & Atlantic coasts, Sonoran & Chilean desert sands, Midwestern & European planes, Rocky & Andean mountains, rainforest & pine trees, and knowing what it looks like to be flying over the sunset.
7. 7.       Shalom.
8. 8.       What my body has been capable of in years past and what it is capable of now.
9. 9.       The fact that I will never be _____ enough.
10. 10.  All of the little opportunities that have lead to big opportunities (example #1 being my current position).

Happy 1 Month Anniversary Costa Rica!

As per my tradition, some musings of being in my new home for 31 days...

-When I wake up in the morning, I see this:

-Where there is a nice-ish apartment complex, there is an adjacent grassy field. Where the grass in the grassy field is shorter than 3 feet, there is a soccer goal.

-It rains every afternoon (since we are in the rainy season), and I find it refreshing and reminiscent of my Indiana childhood days.

-Office life is not as dreadful as I imagined, and I have TED, the Vicky Cristina Barcelona soundtrack, and the delicious (and free) coffee to thank in part for that.

-As I have learned before from living in a new place, if you are not in a practically constant state of uncomfortability in the beginning, you are doing it wrong. I am pushing myself daily to make the most out of being here; starting conversations with strangers, exploring a new part of the city by foot and by car (and subsequently getting lost), asking tons of questions, and in general just trying brand new things. As I told my friend, you have to just embrace the difficulty to the maximum because it's the only way to make the most of it.

-The people I have met here have shown me the artsy, bohemian-y spots I had been searching for. Word of mouth is very influential in Costa Rican culture, whether it be through office gossip or where to see the newest theater performance. You absolutely must listen to and know the right people to get the most out of San Jose. 

-This time around, I am at peace with not transforming into a local; no need to lose myself again in the impossible process of complete assimilation. 

-I am finding my "wake up at 6 and run, drive to work from 8 to 5:30, and come home and cook for myself" life rather... nice. I let my crazy out after dinner (as it brews internally up until then), but this adult/"real world" life is not so bad. The only thing is that I find the routine numbing in its steadiness and comfortability (my made-up word again), and I can see how it can be easy to fall into the trappings of its security. But I don't buy it. 

-I need to really commit to consistently "serving the poor"/volunteering somewhere because my heart is needy for it.

-I miss the fact that all my family is in Indiana together and I am not.

-I am doing fun things. Here is an example of one, in which I zip-lined upside down across the rainforest canopy:

Also, Pura Vida is real!