Pura Vida! A Great Gift
A month has passed since Stuart and I flew with our granddaughter Julia to Costa Rica.
We celebrated her “coming-of-age” (12.5 years) by joining other grandparents and grandchildren on a Road Scholar tour. What will we remember from our hikes, mud bath, swims, zip lines, farm visits, river rafts, making tortillas by hand, stomping on clay, dancing, lectures, stories, conversations, food, birds, animals? We hope this post, bolstered by her own memories, can be a lifelong blessing for her.
First, the images.
Granddad Stuart is Julia’s only living grandfather. We are aware of the privilege Granddad Clayton would have enjoyed had he lived longer to see Julia grow up. We remember him.
Our guides Erick and Ivan took us birdwatching at 6 a.m. That was too early for Julia, but we brought back stories and pictures to share with her.
It was exciting to spot an Emerald Toucanet in a tree top. This is the view through the lens of the tripod telescope.
We saw crocodiles, capuchin monkeys, snakes, Bell birds, herons, and other wildlife on this gentle rapids rafting trip.
Waterfall in Liberia, where we all took mud baths and enjoyed geothermal hot tubs. Julia surfed the rocks in the river with her new grandchildren friends.
Sunset over the Pacific Ocean beach at Carrillo, our last stop.
A gorgeous full moon over Villas del Sol, Guanacaste. Our last night.
All through the eight days, our guides Erick and Ivan reminded us that “Ticos” and “Ticas” (Costa Ricans) have claimed the phrase “Pura Vida” as a way to describe their unique culture. My friend Tina asked me to find some t-shirts with the slogan. They were everywhere, so I brought one home for myself. Before I left, I asked guide Ivan what the slogan means to him.
Pura Vida merch was everywhere in the gift shops. This one, designed like Star Wars, can’t be missed.
“‘Pura Vida’ is our national identity, our national culture,” he said. We use it as a greeting, as a lament, as an explanation of everything or nothing in particular. If we are down, the phrase picks us up. If we are happy, everyone shares our joy! Life is short! Life is good! Literally, ‘Pure Life’ means we live in the now.” It can be a question, and the answer to the question is always, “Pura Vida!”
The people of Costa Rica are the happiest people in the Americas, the first in our hemisphere to break through to the top ten happiest countries in the world. As happiness in the U.S. decreases, we can learn from the beautiful land and people of Costa Rica.
It’s a country without an army. It’s a country that has increased rather than decreased its green forrest canopy since 1995. It’s not a perfect country. But it is precious to the planet, with over 900 species of birds alone, one of the greatest examples of biodiversity in the world.
Julia, you have had the spirit of “Pura Vida” in you since your birth. May this trip always remind you of how beautiful our planet is. May you continue to find joy in beauty, and may you give your gift to the world.
When you were little, I used to sing “Jesus Loves Me” to you at bedtime. Here’s another favorite childhood song, sung just the way I hope you will sing some day.
Let your little light shine! Every day!!
Have you had memorable adventures with grandchildren? Did you travel anywhere with your own grandparents? Have you been to Costa Rica? What does “Pura Vida” mean to you??
Oh what a wonderful and inspiring trip you and your grandchild took……Thank You so much for sharing it with us…..I’ve never been to Costa Rica but now it is definitely on my bucket list….. Lilith
We are so glad that Julia chose this trip from among several offerings in the Road Scholar catalog in this time period. Her brother chose Iceland two years ago. That was another wonderful location. I hope you get to go to Costa Rica. There are so many beautiful places and people. Pura Vida!
Wow, that sounds like an amazing adventure you had with your granddaughter, Shirley! She will never forget it and will share it with her grandchildren if she has them!
Hardy and I took a road trip twice a year to visit our grandchildren in Ontario and those memories will stay with us always!
I have memories of my sister and I overnighting at our widowed grandmother’s little blue house out in the country. We had all of her attention and it was wonderful!
You must treasure your memories of those road trips twice a year. And the older memories of visiting your grandmother with your sister have given a blue glow to your life. Pura Vida!
Julia received the adventure of a lifetime and a gift of memories that will last just as long. The photos are incredible. Pura Vida!
Thanks, Laurie. It was hard to pick just a few photos from among all the ones in my camera. Glad you enjoyed. Pura Vida!
Thanks for sharing this precious time with everyone!
You are so welcome, Maren. Pura Vida!
We did a tour of Costa Rica ourselves not long ago, and enjoyed it greatly. A wonderful country, and I wish the U. S. had a motto more like “Pura Vida!”
Glad you could relate. And, yes, I think mottos matter. We have “e pluribus unam” which is a great idea but might engender more cynicism than joy in today’s climate. I looked it up, and we do have a national motto: “In God We Trust.” Adopted in 1956.
Looks like so much fun and a great way to have our young ones appreciate our world.
So good to see you here, Joan! I think your grandchildren must be quite grown now? Pura Vida!
One at a time is a great idea, perhaps we can follow your example. My siblings and all their spouses (8 of us) all went on a trip to Glacier Park, by train, from South Bend/Chicago Amtrak routes. It was great BUT very trying in terms of 37 hours on the tracks (it was only supposed to be 30 hours, still a long train ride. We agreed we were “glad” not to have a group of kids on that trip, but one at a time might work. But your trip with the Road Scholar Tour sounds wonderful.
Great idea to take the train. You might remember that my book tour for Blush, way back in 2014 included a stop in Glacier. We experienced delays too, mostly in North Dakata, where coal trains had priority on the rails.
One at a time is a great way to go, and the Road Scholars design has served us well twice. We took our eldest, Owen, to Iceland two years ago. You can read about that one here: https://shirleyshowalter.com/whats-good-about-aging/.
Pura Vida!
Wonderful adventure, Stuart & Shirley!
Thanks for coming along on the slide show. 🙂
Pura Vida!
Nice post. Must admit, I’ve never heard “This Little Light of Mine” quite like Bruce (and compnay) perform it. Let there be light!
I was hoping you would watch that video. 🙂
This song reminded me of Mother when she would take her children’s time stories to churches in other counties. We would sing a verse just for the location: i.e., “Shine all over Lebanon County. . .”
I visited Costa Rica a few years ago with my father-in-law and his children. It was a wonderful vacation together.
I’m glad you had a multi-generational experience in this beautiful country also, Nancy. Pura Vida!
You are the coolest grandparents ever! I love Costa Rica (took my family once, and students twice), for so many of the reasons you mention. I love that the country exists without an army; that it exists in peace; that it leans into the pura vida lifestyle. I also loved the warmth, the beaches, the white water rafting, and even the ziplines. 🙂 Plus, the coffee and chocolate were out of this world. What an amazing memory for your granddaughte.r
You have gotten much deeper into the culture than I have on my two short visits, Melanie. I loved all that you mention, including the ziplines. I did the “superman” and lived to tell the story! Pura Vida!
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Thanks for sharing your fabulous adventure with Julia in Costa Rica. What a memorable gift for all of you. I visited there in 2019 on an O.A.T. tour and loved it. Pura vida, indeed! Last year, I took my oldest grandchild, Juliet on a 2-week adventure in Australia where she was studying at the University of Melbourne. We went to Tasmania, Sydney and Melbourne. It was the trip of a lifetime. I also had the blessing of taking many trips with my maternal grandmother. My favorite was a cross country train trip after my high school graduation — from San Francisco to New York with stops along the way. She was a world traveler and so fun to be with.
Donne, you have lived a life of high adventure. No wonder you are such an active, creative, grandmother. You had a world traveling, engaged, grandmother yourself. You have created great traditions not only for Juliet and your other grandchildren but also for the rest of us grandmothers you have influenced over the years. Pura vida!