Tenth Blog - Pura Vida

I am starting to get to know the locals and expats here in Hermosa. I really enjoy being part of a smaller community where you always bump in to someone you know. I also really love the casual way people socialise here. No "lets have a drink Wednesday 2 weeks from now" or "I don't have a Saturday free for the next 3 months". Here people just drop by your house when they feel like it. People have time, there is no rush and the only urgency that exists is that of having to paddle for all that you are worth when a freak wave comes your way while surfing. The Costa Rican's call it "Pura Vida"; the pure life.

I have thought a lot about fear over the past few days. God knows I have been forced to face it many times lately. There is something amazing about the feeling of pure fear. This is the kind of fear that calls on all your natural instincts to kick in, that fills your body with adrenaline and that makes you act and achieve things you did not think yourself capable of. The pure fear is the fear of dying and it is one to treasure. As cliche as it sounds though, most peoples biggest fear is the fear of living. That is the kind of "abstract" fear that prevents you from acting. The fear of being inadequate, fear of uncertainty, the fear of fear itself. Fear that turns in to stress because the body doesn't know what to do with the adrenaline it creates. Fear is one of the most basic, natural feelings we have. It is an emotion indispensable for survival. I don't want the abstract fear to prevent me from living, I want the pure fear to keep me alive as I live life to the full!!

Now this amateur philosopher is off to live a little... waves promising plenty of fear today :-)

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.