Costa Rica Is Calling


    During one of my mornings in Sri Lanka while sipping on coffee and listening to the waves of the ocean, I received a "bite" on a line I previously cast. A bite from all the way in Costa Rica. A while back I'd applied to teach Yoga in a tree house community (that I found online at www.Yogatrade.com) on somewhat of a whimsical decision. Of course I wanted the position when I applied, but I had low hopes that I'd even receive a response. I was happily wrong. They responded, and I was accepted. Yeehaw!


    This meant that my time in Sri Lanka would be coming to an end. This timing was a bit ironic because I'd also received an opportunity to work at a surf school for a company on the island around the same time. It turns out that one of the surfer girls that I fancied from India had connections. She had set me up with the absolute perfect opportunity to create the Sri Lankan surf life that I previously desired. Sometimes the universe tests us by giving us exactly what we've been asking/working/dreaming for. We can go from having zero opportunities to having the blessings raining down on us...or vice versa. I now had to choose. I had two worlds before me - Yoga or Surfing. After reevaluating my goals and desires, I decided that I wanted to continue delving further into the Yoga world and growing as a teacher. Costa Rica came out on top. I knew that I only had the space to be completely addicted/ fixated on one thing...so I chose to stay in the Yoga world. Atleast for now. But who knows. Maybe one day I'll detach from my visions and pullings of "success" and pass the rest of my days away communing with the ocean on a surfboard...that's always an option...but not for now...and besides, I was terrible at surfing.


    I had traveled to Sri Lanka hoping that I'd discover the next step in my journey. I had now found the answer. The combination of taking action and having a bit of patience always unveils the mysteries of life. Or atleast some of them. I've always imagined that the universe asks/requires us to give everything for our dreams. Each persons output for their individual dream is different. Yet it's not the degree of output that matters. Rather it's that whatever your output is, needs to be your "everything". When it (the universe) sees you giving your "everything", it then takes care of the rest. The universe picks us up where we fall short. This could all be nonsense, but it's the lens in which I've navigated the world and so far it's worked out in spectacular ways that I never could've imagined. I had two options before me: Surfing life in Sri Lanka or Yogi vibes in the heart of a Costa Rican jungle. Life was good! Abundance abounded. 


    Shortly after receiving the news that the treehouse community accepted me, I booked my ticket across the world. My departure was a few days later. I said goodbye to all of the kind souls that I met, had one last wrestling session with all of the dogs at the Buddhist monastery, and had a special moment with Yohan. For some people, when I say goodbye I get a feeling about if I'll see them again or not. Up until this point, it's always been "correct". I don't know how to describe it. It's just a feeling. For Yohan, I sensed this was the last time our paths would cross in life. Forever "goodbyes" are much more difficult then "see ya later" goodbyes...this was a forever "goodbye". Without further adieu, I was off onto the next episode of this epic 8 years (and going) travel saga. Costa Rica, here I come!


    I remember the bus ride to the airport on my final night in Sri Lanka. I had a mixture of utter excitement combined with an undertone of anxiety. It's important to point out that not all moments of my journey have been butterflies and rainbows. I've had many moments of doubt, questions, and loneliness on this path. In the beginning these feelings were intense and very uncomfortable. Sometimes they still arise within me. To this day my future is still just as unpredictable and wild, but I'm better at internally navigating it all. All this to say that this bus ride was an acutely difficulty moment for me. I don't know why. I was scared. What was I doing in life? Was I an idiot? Was I irresponsible? I felt completely alone. To top it off, I accidentally broke one of my teeth in the airport while trying to eat some dried beans (stupid idea) waiting for my flight. Fun fact: my four front upper teeth are fake. Anyways. All this doubt and fear would quickly evaporate once I arrived in the land of pura vida! Costa Rica called, and I answered! Off to the jungle we gooooooooo!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LOVE ALONG THE GANGES

Image
    M any stories have their moments where "love", without warning - walks into the scene, totally throwing off the protagonist. Here is one of mine...      I had just finished a Yoga Nidra session and was heading back to my room for an afternoon shower and siesta. I found myself having to constantly shower throughout my days in India. I was always a hot mess of sweat and dirt. Accompanying the sweat and dirt was an eclectic smell mixture of cow and dog, whom I was always taking the time to love on. On the walk to my room I was singing the song "Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G. While in the middle of belting out the lyrics, a French girl (whom I'd never met) - small in stature but large in demeanor, joined in. We finished the lyrics together without missing a beat and with zero hesitation. I was stunned and surprised in the best of ways. Why? I think it was the liberating confidence that she displayed by sporadically synching up with me (a stranger) and joi...
Read more

Portugal Performances from the Past (As a Student)

Image
"No Elbows On The Table" - Imaginarius Festival ...2022?      During my years as a student at the "Instituto Nacional de Artes do Circo" in Portugal, I had many opportunities to hone my craft and to dabble with all sorts of different styles of performing. Performances included group shows with my class, duos, trios, a 15-minute solo show that I spent one year developing, a show at a bar where I stripped down to my underwear, street shows (as mentioned in the last blog), and multiple festivals. In this post, I'm going to share a rough overview of some of the performances and experiences. My years as a student and the performances that I took part in can be summed up with the same words that are also the title of a classic western from the states: "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." Those words are pretty self-explanatory... "Won't You Dance With Me"      To conclude our first year as circus students, we performed as a class in a festival ca...
Read more

Circus School Graduate: What Now?

Image
        Long time no blog! Alas, after some months of a hiatus due to lack of motivation, being busy with shows, and the constant grind at the traffic light - I shall make an attempt at returning to writing. At least for today. I'll pick up right where I left off, graduating from circus school in Portugal.... When I finished my schooling, I had absolutely no idea what I would do next. In the meantime, while I figured out the next move to make, I spent a couple of months working the traffic lights and applying for each and every open call/opportunity that I came across. I mostly didn't receive any responses. And for the few that did respond - it was a "No". I kept hustling, waiting, and applying. I figured that even if I had to wait some months before I found work or decided to leave Portugal, I could at least build up some savings from the traffic lights to fuel my next adventure. This decision ended up serving my future self because I would end up needing...
Read more