Sometimes, it’s the hardest question to answer. Before a choir concert the other night, my conductor’s 7-year-old daughter came over to greet me with the customary peck on the cheek and added: “They told me you’re leaving? You’re leaving and you’re not coming b[...]
Posts Tagged ‘lavidaidealist.org’
It’s Not You, It’s Me: The Mistake of Losing Focus
We set off on global excursions determined to not only discover foreign lands but also uncharted personal territory. Books are packed that inspire thought, a journal is bought to capture valuable reflections, and a pledges are made to focus attention inward. What kind of person is at my core? How wi[...]
Combat Mosquitoes with Karate Moves
Sweet blood. That’s always been the reason people tell me I frequently get bit by mosquitoes. I’d like to know how to turn it sour. Mosquitoes have been rampant here in northern Mexico for the past five months, and although the amount of them are decreasing as the colder weather approach[...]
Warning to Women: Thicken Your Skin, Machismo Awaits in Costa Rica
With a female president and numerous high ranking female politicians, one would tend to think that the Costa Rican people are progressive in terms of gender issues. It is for this reason that I am surprised by the level of machismo, or paternalistic ways of thinking and acting that exist in the coun[...]
Worlds Apart
I am poor by common U.S. standards. When friends and family give to me instead of me having to go to a second-hand shop, I find myself overjoyed. When they buy lunch or coffee for me and my husband, I am humbled. But that humility can turn sour. Sometimes, I feel like a moocher, a [...][...]




