I met God
On the edge of town
Where the wind meets the stillness
Where the darkness meets the light
Where the ocean meets the sky
Where the desert meets the rain
Where the earth meets the heavens
On the edge of town
I met God

I asked God
Do one thing for me
Send me back in time
Send me to Seattle…
Send me to Berlin…
Send me to Jerusalem…

God Said No…

God said Time
Time belongs to me
Time’s my secret weapon
My final advantage

God turned away
From the edge of town
I knew I was beaten
And that now was all I had
God Said No

I listened to this song by Dan Bern repeatedly for about 3 hours during my drive to and from Mount Decoeli (thanks, sister Emily, for the introduction). If you haven’t heard it, please do. Dan’s unpresumptuous voice brings power to the words. We are flawed. God knows us. Now is all we have. Now is all we have.

…to brighten your day.

Here’s what our life has been like in Costa Rica:

Grecia

• Wake up with the sun because of the son at 5:45am (no curtains)
• Feed the children breakfast
• Hang out on rocking chairs enjoying the view, the sun, and the breeze as the children play in the gardens, lawn, and covered areas
• On grocery/errand days, catch the bus to town and return for nap time many hours later
• Lunch
• Nap
• More playing outside, often with the hose
• Dinner
• Hang out on rocking chairs enjoying the city lights as the kids play on the porch or in the living room

Notice: no internet = no work. And I think I like it.

Playa Jaco

• Make breakfast
• Swim in the pool
• Long indoor playtime with snacks and lunch and a 1L fruit smoothie from the Taco Bar
• Put kids down for a nap and go surfing
• Dinner and smoothie
• Swim in the pool

Notice: have internet…but where’s the work?

Elias & I spent a few days doing reconnaissance at Jaco Beach last week, in preparation for the week we needed to vacate our rental due to the short term return of the owners.

We also made sure to fight the undertow at nearby expert surf destination Playa Hermosa:

We had to choose between Jaco and Manuel Antonio, the latter generally being the most recommended. But Jaco was a bit closer, so we figured we’ll just vacation at Manuel Antonio next month and enjoy the variety of getting to know multiple places.

After much searching, we found a truly perfect small scale condo-style rental with an integral kitchen, a pool, and a short walk to the beach.

And, Jaco has the only real playground I’ve seen in Costa Rica, so far (it turns out there is not one near our house in Grecia):

And let me tell you about the waves! Two hours before high tide, the surfers flock to the water, bobbing and waiting like so many seabirds. And yesterday I became one of them.

After two hours of vicious pounding and practice, as the sun went to rest in a bed of rose and gold, I pushed further to sea to initiative myself on the mountains the masses seek. A huge seabird dipped to skim the surface above a large swell. As the pair approached in tandem like a Greek omen, the wave looked increasingly set for an ideal break. I propelled myself forward to let it grab me, and as the board began the rapid fall down the wave, I popped to my feet, fortuitously maintaining the delicate balance, and cruised the crashing monster into shore.

I am still glowing from the experience, an overdue culmination of so many hours and days of my youth learning the waves on boards of smaller stature.

Battered but not broken, sore but not sorry, I eagerly anticipate the upcoming combination of the children’s nap and high tide.