Pura Vida — And What We Forgot

I’m down in Costa Rica for a bit.

They call it Tico Time.

And I’ll be honest—it’s nice.

It’s not that people here don’t work.

They do.

But the priorities feel different.

Back home, we tend to live like this:

• Schedule first

• Work first

• Efficiency first

• Time is money

Here, it feels more like:

• Family first

• Life first

• Health first

• Relationships first

Work still gets done.

But time isn’t treated like something chasing you.

You hear the phrase everywhere:

Pura Vida

It literally means “pure life.”

But that’s not really what it means.

It means:

• Life is good

• Relax

• Don’t worry so much

• Enjoy today

• Things will work out

• Be grateful

• Slow down

It’s not something people say.

It’s something they live.

Costa Rica is one of the few places I’ve been where:

People aren’t trying to win the day.

They’re trying to live it.

You start to notice things.

People walk slower.
They talk longer.
They sit a little more.

They don’t rush to finish everything.

They just stay where they are.

I find myself leaning that way.

Not quitting work.
Not checking out.

Just… shifting.

Walk a little slower.
Notice people.
Eat slower.
Work—but not obsessively.

Remember:

• Family matters

• Health matters

• Time is not the enemy

• Life is not a race

There’s a rhythm here that feels familiar.

Like something we knew once.

If I had to say it in my own words, maybe it’s this:

Think → Feel → Love
Mind → Heart → Life

Or maybe even simpler:

All is well.

Not because everything is perfect.

But because we stop fighting the moment we’re in.

That might be the real translation.

Walk it gently.
— The Humble Traveler