I’ll Have What She’s Having

Jun28

Ok! I have your attention but believe me I will get to talking about orgasms. But to start off I want to talk about birds.

Ok birds rule in Costa Rica. And they each have their own well-developed voice which is more than I can say on how long it took for me to developed mine. And, so I have coined some terms for each bird that is recognizable through their song, their diatribe, their incessant nagging, unabashed screaming and yes their moaning. Imagine what it is like at that very special time of day, say 5am when they are all warming up together.

There is the tiny bird with a big mouth I call the Nepher-ti-ti bird, the screecher, the howler, the Ca-ca bird. Then you have the parrot families that are just unbelievably dysfunctional screamers, the Poo-poo, Poo-poo bird, and the one I discovered just today. I am affectionately calling it the Orgasm Bird since she, I think, starts out slow and speeds up until she ends in a blood-curdling scream…of sorts. You be the judge since I am also calling this amazing bird that stops every man in his tracks, “Meg” as in, When Harry Met Sally’s famous delicatessen scene.

Ok back to the birds. I count on these birds and am learning to move through my day by who is yelling, singing or just mad as a hatter at some animal that is encroaching on it’s territory. And that is pretty much a late day phenomenon. I wake up to a certain group of birds mostly Parakeets, Conures and big bold Parrots with a shit load of bravado.

During the heat of the day, which I say tongue in cheek really, since that is all the time, there are the Cha-cha-lacas (oh that is their real name) who are very family oriented and seem to guard our house. They make sure my daily siesta does not go on for too long. Oh say 15 min.

Then it is quiet right about the time I think that a fresh banana or papaya daiquiri would be pretty good by poolside and by night I wouldn’t hear one screecher since the cicadas sound like breaking glass in and out of the inevitable thunder rolling over the Terracotta roof.

So this bird watching report is really to say one important thing. Since I arrived I have developed a kind of reverence and awe at the perfection of nature in the Jungle here in Costa Rica, which if left alone, undeveloped and wild is one of the greatest teachers we have on this planet.

Enough said. Meg is back.

Please Come Join Me

Jun21

The Writer’s Experience in Costa Rica: With Maya Christobel

This immersion workshop is to rejuvenate your writing spirit, your body and your soul. Blue Osa Retreat and Spa Eco-‐Village is located in Costa Rica in what National Geographic says is the most beautiful rainforest in the world. Come and join us to learn creative writing skills, craft a first project, finish your final draft of a novel or dive into a story you have always known you were born to tell. And in between working in-‐group, polishing an article, meeting with Maya one on one, have a Thai massage, gather shells on the beach and eat organic vegetarian meals prepared with love. For all the information on this extensive Eco-‐Village visit: http://www.blueosa.com.

When: Sept. 18-‐26, 2015
Cost: $1800 (airfare not included)
Early Bird Registration is up to June 30th for a savings. Limited to 10 participants

Includes all of your gratuities at the Eco-‐Village, four fabulous meals a day, airport shuttle and 7 nights’ accommodations, all with breathtaking beauty and bounty. Cost does not include spa treatments or professional yoga classes.

Maya Christobel is a Harvard psychotherapist, professional writer, award-winning screenwriter and teacher working with people for over 30 years She has published books and screenplays, produced music with AOMusic, and ghostwritten fiction and non-‐fiction. She is currently coaching clients around the world who are writing novels and memoirs, children’s books and writing for life.Her resume is at http://www.mythotherapy.org and her website is http://www.mayalunachristobel.com

Early Bird Registration is $1600 if deposit is received by June 30th. (see website) Deposit Required to Register is $500, balance due August 15th 2015.
Maya can be reached with any questions at mayachristobel@gmail.com. Extensive FAQs and Information will be available at http://www.mythotherapy.org

Tic-Toc Tico

Jun21

I have been in Costa Rica for one month and time has evaporated, but my ongoing dewy body has not. When time slips away and you forget what day of the week it is, Costa Ricans call it Tico time, Tico, the name for all the people who are Costa Rican. And I am not Costa Rican, so Tico time is a new concept. I know about Island Time from living in Hawaii; that slow lingering pace that comes from being drunk on the smell of Plumeria. But Tico time is all about “manana, manana and manana”.

For me, it seems to be about putting off till tomorrow what you need done today, but it really amounts to a deeply ingrained feeling that nothing at all is urgent; not leaky pipes, broken air conditioners or in my case, having an order in for internet to be installed filed on April 8 and finally being up and running as of just last week. Tico time is when no one gets the job done till they feel like doing it. “We will be out tomorrow, we have the order I promise you and we will be there” was the mantra for over six weeks.

So this is what I have learned from Tico time: Don’t be an ugly American and intimidate anyone or you will get nothing. And, don’t bribe anyone either (which is a customary expectation for some I am finding out) since word will get around that you use money to get what you want. So, why bother worrying since it doesn’t make anything happen any faster? Get used to standing in line or sitting and waiting for your number to be called if you want to pay the electric bill, for lets say maybe four hours. And most of all, simply do not make plans that you are not willing to adjust, more than once. And let’s not even start talking about people getting anywhere on time for just about anything.

So patience, breathing, laughing, waiting and rejoicing when the air conditioner finally works is a daily prayer. Fifty percent of my day is going to be taken up with things I never spent more than a couple of hours on in the States. But with all the aggravation, I am learning to appreciate everything that comes with Tico time. There is an upside. I walk slower. I don’t hurry or check my watch ever. I cannot afford to get rattled or scowl or complain or get frustrated. So none of that is part of Tico time. As a result of waiting, and trying to be patient, I simply learn to make do, take in what is going on around me, slow down, do with less, be happy with more, and I am more content all the way around. I think the majority of the world who do not live in first world industrialized countries live this way all of the time.

It is a steep un-learning curve here in Costa Rica. For every miracle and flower, rare bird and magnificent thunderous storm there are trade offs. But the trade offs are things I really have come to understand are not really anything essential about life. I can in fact do without an internet signal…the world does not stop revolving and I can simply go down the hill to the Paradiso Café and meet new people, practice my Spanish and use their internet while sipping Costa Rican coffee as the roosters peck around the table. I can do without packaged food, unless I would like to pay $8 for a small container of almond milk. I can do without Pandora and I can do without electricity when there is a storm. In fact I can do without a whole lot of things that when living in the States I thought were essential.

But what I get to live without is surprisingly liberating:

No traffic of any kind and no rush hour. There is nowhere to rush.
Movie Theaters. I read old-fashioned books on my Nook.
Electro-magnetic bombardment of my body and soul. None here. No wires.
Sleepless nights. Without the EM’s, I sleep like a baby.
Pollution both chemical and noise. Now that said the cicadas are deafening.
Accumulation of things not needed. It is all about simplicity here.
Shopping, more shopping and shopping Malls. Need I say more?
Road Rage. But let’s talk about the two lane back roads where you pass down the MIDDLE of an unmarked highway.
Cops, rarely see them.
Speed limits not sure I even know what it is here.
Strip Malls thank god.

What I get to live with has become more than wonderful:

Unparalleled beauty out my front door
Wild and powerful weather every day
The sound of the ocean tides coming in and roaring out
Kind smiling people most of the time
Mother Nature at her finest and in Technicolor
Giant papayas for a dollar
Coconuts with straws for a buck
Fresh everything, and I mean chickens killed at 8am and cooked by 5pm if you eat chicken
No clothes, bare feet, living in the water.
Fabulous skin from the humidity.
Deserted beaches
Going to bed at 8:30pm and parrots rousing me at 5am, not so gently
Living inside of natures rhythm from sunrise to sunset
Being fully present in my body at all times. Having to watch every step I take
Learning to live with the Jungle. The Jungle is alive and has rules.
Animals, animals and more animals. Have not met a sloth yet but they are everywhere
Fruit falling off trees into my lap while I am walking the dog: Starfruit, Mango, Banana and Coconuts
Fresh fish, fresh coffee, clean food everywhere.
My list here is far longer, but you get the picture.

It has taken me my entire life to allow myself to leap into a new way of living that is not “American” at it’s core ( I will be writing about the extensive ex-pat community later). I have finally given myself the opportunity to learn a new language, to pare down everything I thought I needed in life and make room for what is essential; Sun, surf and the pulsating organism that is a jungle. The jungle is prana, it is the life force of Costa Rica. It is the breath of life and like Eden, it is pure and balanced. I think I didn’t really know that my life in the American fast lane was far too hard for me to achieve balance and equanimity. Peace is much more available here in the rainforest that is Costa Rica.

So, I am ready to tell some tales that will make you laugh and hopefully encourage you to take off your shoes and step out of your life for a while. There is a new you outside your box just waiting for a chance to explore our beautiful world which will simply …rewire you and help you to remember who you are.