A move to Costa Rica is not just a change in lifestyle or an extended vacation. It is very much, a learning and growth inducing experience. This is true for me and for many others, as they have testified. The course taken by our learning (and our life) is directed by our intentions associated with the move. Some have come to escape the rat race, others to find solitude or a soul mate. And most everyone comes with the intention of finding a better life in paradise.
       I’m big on intentions. I believe thoughts create reality, like attracts like, and what we send out comes back to us. In fact, intention is the most powerful tool we humans have.
       My intentions in coming to Costa Rica were all of the above and more. Many have come to fruition and some are still in process. Recently, several situations have been cause for reflection on my intentions for my life here in Costa Rica.
       When I came to Costa Rica my biggest intention was to change my life. That I did, unquestionably. I came here for a change, but I was not sure this was where I wanted to stay. I spent the first two years groping around for a way to make my life work in this world. (You can read all about that in my book “If She Can do It, So Can I !”) Then, after struggling with money and, at times, loneliness, I went back to the States, uncertain if I would return.
       It was during that time – four months back in Montana – that a true intention for my life in Costa Rica was formed. As I wrote, turning my travel journals into a book, I relived my life here. The rich memories of good times and bad times, alike, grew into a real love for Costa Rica. It was then that I decided, no matter what, I would go back. From that decision, sprung a new blog called “Testing the Power of Intention.” I felt that if this intention thing is really legitimate, I should be able to prove it by example of my own life.
       I began a blog about money, as that was my biggest obstacle. A month before I was scheduled to return to Costa Rica, I had none. This put me in a bit of a quandary, as I was not willing to go back there penniless, nor was I going to stay where I was. Those two things became the catalysts to my success! I believe, without a doubt, that the reason I was able to go back to Costa Rica with money and figure out a way to live, was that I was willing to accept nothing less. I set my mind on acquiring $5000.00 first, and leaving as scheduled. (For details, read the blog.) It happened, just as I intended.
       Once back in Costa Rica, there was still the issue of how I would be able to live a somewhat secure life. Circumstances led me to an inexpensive rental and all has fallen into place – again, because I intended it to. Income from my property in Montana, combined with earnings from my budding business – a guide service – kept me comfortable and all was well for seven months. Then – the first of the recent events.
       I got an email from the tenant in my house. She was moving out. That is what got me into trouble last year. Both my house and apartment were vacant for two months, at the same time. No money for mortgage or property taxes: no money for nothing! I fretted and worried about this for months, working online every day to find new tenants. Finally, I went back to Montana to resolve things. This time, the moment I got that email about the new tenant moving out I decided not to worry about it, like I had before. I would allow only thoughts of success. Surely I would have a renter – a good and reliable one – exactly when I needed it.
       Fortunately my tenant was kind enough to give me two month’s notice. I had that much time to find a new renter, before she would stop paying rent. Again, I worked on Craig’s List and with friends back home, to find someone. In the past two months, I must have emailed thirty people. There were some I might have said yes to, if I’d been desperate – but I was not. I waited with confidence, for just the right person to come along. And they did – not until the last minute, but they did come along, just like I knew they would. On June fourth, the money was in my account.
       The second recent event that unsettled my world was a theft. I was robbed at one of my very favorite places – the nearby waterfalls. I was hardly ten feet from my backpack when a guy came up, grabbed it and ran. He got our lunch, a towel, the skirt that matches my bathing suit and worst of all, my beloved camera. I love that camera! I used it to take all the great photos I have on my web site.
       I’ve been robbed before, several times. The most interesting thing about this, to me, is my own psychological reaction. The first time it happened was the biggest. I was in the quaint little town of Orosi. During the night the convertible top from my car was stolen, along with my stereo, my CDs and all my clothes – yes, all of them! I’d never been robbed before. I had come from a town where you don’t even have to lock your door. This was a Costa Rica initiation experience and It took me a while to get over it. (Read all about it in my book.) I yelled, I cried, I was angry. I wondered what I did wrong. Was I bad person or just a stupid person? It was not until a year later that I finally found some good in the experience. My sympathetic friends, back in Montana saved their unwanted clothes for me and when I came back to visit, I had lots of cool clothes that I never would have thought to buy for myself.
       The second time I was robbed was a small one. I was house sitting at a very vulnerable place: no locks or bars on the windows, just screens that could easily be cut. I went with a friend, for an afternoon walk on the beach. When we returned, the place had been ransacked. I did not lose much – a flashlight, alarm clock and sunglasses. I’d kept my valuables in the impermeable security trunk of my car. But I was hurt, I felt violated. My friend was sympathetic, but then went on to start the dinner we had planned and talk of other things. I felt slighted. Didn’t he care?
       I walked outside to do a bit of pouting and found myself thinking instead. I realized that in my mind I had been connecting this incident with every other negative one I could think of, all leading me to some kind of a terrible “poor me” conclusion. And I’d wanted my friend to join in. Once I was aware of the nonsense going on in my head, I put a stop to it. The robbery did not mean that Costa Rica is a bad place or that I was not meant to be there. It simply meant that the house was an easy break-in and somebody figured that out. In this “ah ha” moment, I learned to let go.
       Just yesterday one of my daughter’s puppies – a brother and sister pair – was hit by a car and killed. We are all very sad about this, including the surviving sister dog, Sativa – she saw it happen. All day long while she moped around, people were petting her: showing their love and sympathy. Then in the afternoon, I noticed Sativa run across the road to the beach to play with another dog. I thought about how humans would never do that. We hold on to our sadness. Sativa misses her brother but she let it go. We must learn from the animals.
       Yesterday, after I got over the shock of that guy looking right at me, saying hello and then swiping my bag, I made a decision. I was not going to let this get to me. I was not going to react like I had before.
       I knew I needed to vent and get it out, so I did. I cried and complained that I was embarrassed, that I felt stupid, that I should have been more careful. And my friends understood. Out of sympathy, John said he was sure the next time that guy did anything like this, his karma would get him and as he ran, with the goods, he’d slip and take a deadly tumble from the top of the waterfalls. I said no, I would not wish that on anyone. I know that any anger I hold on to, only hurts me. But when we got back into town and I told Jonnathan, from Cafe Ivon, that we’d lost the lunch he’d made for us, I couldn’t help but agree with his certainty that the thief would eat the lunch and get a terrible stomach ache. We laughed at the thought of the robber, sitting on the pot, with diarrhea, crying in regret.
       After the theft, my friends suggested we go on home. “No,” I said adamantly, “I would feel defeated if I allowed this to ruin our day.” So we went on, climbing further up the stream, swimming some more and then swinging on vines down the jungle trail.
       My challenge has been (and still is, a day later), to control my thoughts regarding this incident. Countless times it has popped into my head, trying to be revived and relived. Each time I stop it and say no. “It is bad enough that it happened once. I do not need to replay the tape, again and again, in my head.” I notice my tendency to think about it, imagining how I could to do it over and foil the crime this time. “If only I had done this or that……” Then I stop myself, “This is nothing personal, no one did it to you. It just happened. The guy saw an opportunity and took it. You are not bad, or wrong or stupid. And the camera can be replaced. Now let it go.” I talked to myself over and over again. And it worked.
       The face of the ladrone(robber) is fading. When I see it in my mind, I let it go, holding nothing against him. I made a conscious decision that although he stole my stuff, he could could not steal my strength, my confidence, or my good will toward others. I have seen that what matters is not what happens to you, it’s how you deal with it. What is more, I believe that in letting go, I have opened the door for good to come out of this situation and already, it has.
       My camera is a big issue, as I have a two week road trip planned and I must leave in just over a week. I need a camera to document my trip. I found one exactly like my old camera, on eBay. In an effort to find someone to bring it down here to me in Costa Rica, I sent out an email to all my readers. This led to something unexpected, that touched my heart and fortified the belief that my life here is a success. One of my readers sent me money to buy a new camera. This caring act, from a concerned person I have never even met, means so much more than the money. It tells me I am on the right path. It reminds me never to give up. And it confirms that I do not need to live in fear and worry. I will always have my needs met and be well taken care of.
       The most gratifying thing about all this, to me, is it’s affirmation of the power of my intention. My intention has been to live in Costa Rica, comfortable and secure, free of financial concerns. This was tested twice by recent circumstance: the rental issue and the theft. I have learned not to be afraid, not to worry. I know that, as like attracts like, my positive outlook continues to propel my intention to fruition. This is my home. I live here. Nothing can take that away, except my own choice. And for now, with the rain, the heat, and the thieves in the jungle, I still see this as paradise. I choose Costa Rica.