Pura Vida - A Poem

Hello, I feel compelled to share a poem that I wrote on the flight back from Costa Rica a few years ago. I was accompanying my daughter as a chaperone for her volleyball team. I want to say it was U18? I don't know, I'm not a sports guy, I'm a jazz musician and had asthma growing up so I didnt play sports 😄 The whole "U17", "U10" thing in sports doesn't make sense to me but if I'm honest I could spend .05 seconds to ask or look it up and resolve the whole confusion but so far I have refused to do so. I should probably reconsider that 🤣

Anyway, my daughter was 18 at the time (hence my confusion about the "U" which to my knowledge means "under") and it was an expensive trip ($4000 each), and my now ex-wife and I were also in the middle of a gigantic and expensive renovation project that was a subconscious last-ditch effort to save our marriage. I was not the typical "sports dad" but I love my daughter and I went to as many games as I could and I genuinely enjoyed watching her play, I simply didn't understand what was happening 😂 I never kept score or got involved in warm ups, and I regret that. I was caught in a perception that I was "wasn't the athletic type" and I had some trauma from childhood about being bad at sports that I had clearly carried into adulthood. So when I heard about this proposed trip to Costa Rica I was intruiged. I called her coach. I had never really spoken to him, and he had been her coach for years. I was that messed up regarding my identity and insecurities around being non-athletic. The irony is that I'm actually really atheltic, I was an awesome skateboarder when I was younger and I play jazz drums and piano at a world-class level which requires incredible focus and coordination. But I was always intimidated around jocks. Hilarious now to reflect on this dynamic, and the games the ego plays.

The phone call to her coach was amazing - he told me how talented she was and all about her "court awareness" and things that I didn't understand, and he really sold me on the trip. At the time I was making good money so I agreed to come along as a chaperone, the $8000 was not a big deal to me, especially in light of a renovation project that was creeping up over $500,000!

But my now ex-wife was furious about this. She was caught up in complaining with some of the other moms about this ridiculous trip that was costing them all so much money. The narrative they were promulgating was that the coaches were two rich guys who didn't realize that some of us have bills to pay. After some heated discussions, however, it was agreed upon and I went along with another parent and the two coaches. It was an amazing trip, and I felt that I was contantly getting telepathic messages about reality and spirituality the whole time we were there. We also visited a specific place that had a bunch of indoor pools and waterfalls and swim up bars and stuff that I had previously dreamed about. When we walked in I was like, "Wait, I remember this place from a dream!"

Among many other places we stayed at a resort called "Punta Leona" with a beach called "Playa Blanca" which is absolute paradise. The walk from our room to the beach was like walking through the Garden of Eden, the trees, the butterfly pavillion, the igunanas, the scarlet macaws, the LIFE bursting from every surface was a shock to my system. I'm from Canada and most of the time it's dull, grey, brown and dead here. Jungles are a sensory overload for me.

At the time I knew my marriage was over, and I also knew that it would cost me everything (dollar-wise and otherwise) to leave. As I observed nature I could see the effortless way everything unfolded, how all needs were provided for, and I felt so desperately OUTSIDE of that framework of sufficiency. All I could see was debt, mounting bills, spousal support payments for the rest of my life, renovation cost overruns, and a soon-to-be ex who wanted MORE and MORE and MORE. The stillness and peace of the Kingdom of God was not a reality in my daily experience at that time, though I was having flashes of it from time to time.

I wrote this poem on the flight home. Pura Vida is a saying that means "Pure Life" and is used as a greeting, a blessing, a well-wishing, and just as a throw-away phrase sometimes. It's a beautiful sentiment, and it was the inspiration for this poem. I hope you enjoy it.

Pura Vida

In the land of the Rich Coast, there is life - exuberant, extravagant, raucous, colourful, active, abundant, flourishing life. 

Effortlessly arising from the invisible dance of soil and sun, air and water, this life shows forth the hidden goodness of the cosmos. 

With each sunrise, nature spreads a banquet table for her offspring, and all are welcomed to feast. Her sons and daughters drink the light and taste the water, moving to the music of the breath of God, until at last, being filled beyond fullness they bring forth an endless array of shape, form, colour, smell and taste. 

In the land of the Rich Coast, endless circles of sufficiency swirl around all that breathe the breath of life. 

A sloth reaches out and finds the answer to her unspoken question immediately available and within reach of her perfectly designed toes. Her baby finds all provision and protection contained in her mother. 

Scarlet macaws squawk, scold and shriek as they take flight simply to enjoy the view. The shelves of their supermarket are always full, and they feed with abandon and delight wherever they land. 

Ancient reptiles recharge themselves on the rocks like smart phones, absorbing their life from a distant star with no thought of a dark tomorrow or a drained battery. 

Yet the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve stand separate, disconnected from the circle. Nature, so at peace with itself, withdraws and hides from man, bearing witness to an ancient war. Even here, in Eden, the scars are visible, scoured into the landscape, gazing at us with hollow eyes from behind thick glass while we feast and visit the gift shop. 

Costa Rica, the Rich Coast, is saturated with life, clinging and growing from every surface, unstoppable, inexorable, inevitable, sufficient to supply every need. 

Yet the question remains: from whence comes the sufficiency that will satisfy man, as nature satisfies her offspring? When will wounded men and beasts come forth from their cages to heal and be healed, to embrace and be embraced? When will mere biology be transformed into Pure Life?

Pura Vida is an essence, an invocation, a greeting and a blessing. It is also an invitation, a beckoning into the secret place that nature knows without knowing, where fear fades away and we stand in the eternal sufficiency of Love.