What kind of people just drop everything and move their family to Costa Rica?

Have you ever woken up in your own home, in your own bed and wondered how on Earth you got there?  Ever walk past a mirror and almost didn’t recognize the person staring back at you?  Do you ever find yourself rushing around with your daily activities, playing taxi to the kids, cooking meals on the fly, running errands and not being able to remember the last time you did something for YOU?

Sometimes we get so caught up with our own busyness that we forget that we once had dreams.  Maybe later, we say.  Maybe later I will go for that dream job, or go back to school.  Maybe later I will have more time.  Maybe later I will run that 10k.    Maybe after I lose that 20 pounds.  And maybe some day I will travel the world.  Some day.   

The truth is we get comfortable. 

The life we have right now is one that we created through every choice we’ve made.  We live where we live because we chose it.  We get up and go to work because we chose this job.  The people we surround ourselves with were chosen by us.  And we spend our time doing the very things we choose to do.  But sometimes it doesn’t feel that way.  We feel stuck.  We may not like where we live, but it seems too difficult to leave.  We keep going to work because we need the money, even though we may have stopped loving our job a long time ago.  And maybe we’re more comfortable eating that ice cream than we would be training for that 10k.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself.  Life is about creating yourself.”  ~George Bernard Shaw

If you can relate to this scenario you are not alone.  Before I had kids I thought I knew exactly what kind of mother I was going to be.  I would be calm and wise, never raise my voice.  I was living in Vancouver and had a busy outdoor lifestyle and was sure my family would be that cool family, you know the one.  The one you see outside every day, hiking, cycling and traveling the world.  The parents are hip and fit and have infinite patience with their kids.  

Wake Up Call

Well I woke up one day and realized I wasn’t that mother.  I was no longer on that path.  I was actually heading in another direction altogether.  The person in the mirror was someone I didn’t recognize.  She was 30 pounds overweight, frustrated, working at a job that was not only unsatisfying, but that actually sucked a little bit of life out of her every time she showed up.  That person in the mirror was not happy about this.  And she was ready to bust out of this role and show her true colors.

Dropping everything and going to Costa Rica might seem pretty huge but what a better way to break out of that comfort zone!  Yes, it’s very scary.  But often in life the things that take the most work, the things that stir up the most fear are the ones with the greatest rewards.  By leaving the rat race behind for six months, we will be able to spend all of our time together as a family and create memories that will last a lifetime.  We will reconnect with each other and with our kids, homeschooling, traveling, learning and loving life.  We invite you to follow us on our journey.  And maybe you will be inspired to find your own journey and find your path.