Pura vida. It’s the ultimate Costa Rican colloquialism and it loses all of its distinction if you transliterate rather than translate it. “Pure life” comes up short in English. The expression has so many dimensions in the vernacular in Costa Rica that it frankly defies translation so I don’t know why I think I’ll be able to do it justice, but in the times we are living it is worth a try. And speaking of living, that is its essence – living large might be one of the simplest ways of encapsulating it. Especially now when the corona virus is dampening joy, well it’s another reason I’m glad I’m on lockdown here and have frequent nudges toward pura vida.

Pura vida does not simply mean pure living in a puritanical sense, or in a vegan-eating, smoothie-drinking, yoga-doing, surfer hang ten kind of vibe, although all of those things are pura vida.

The phrase pura vida is ubiquitous. It can be used as a greeting or send off, much like aloha and shalom. It is akin to hakuna matata (about which I waxed poetic in an update from the field dated 18 Nov 2017), but less passive and more of a proactive affirmation. It can be used as thank you and you’re welcome, like when we delivered groceries to elderly folks in the community where I’m staying; or as a way of cheering on or offering encouragement when you pass another hiker or jogger on the trail (at the prescribed distance of course); or an exclamation to acknowledge the sighting of fantastic flora or fauna, as happens regularly here; or when you have any good news to celebrate. It can also be used as an adverb when trying to emphasize that something is simply the most archetypal example of its kind – I hear it used by Ticos all the time in that context. Like the runaround to get the right documents from the ministry in charge of – fill in the blank, no shortage of ministries to choose from – could be described as the pura vida of bureaucracy.

But mostly pura vida is a phrase used to embrace life with robust gratitude, and Costa Rica is the kind of place that makes you want to do just that. I feel very lucky to be here, there’s nowhere I’d rather be in idyllic isolation. Many of my lockdowns over previous years working abroad have been pretty awful, so it is a new experience to have a lockdown I’ve been able to lean into, and I’m making the most of it. I commented to a friend recently that this may be the most at ease that I’ve ever felt, and I’m only sorry it took the whole world grinding to a halt to be able to let go.

Don’t want to imply I’m able to completely transcend the anxiety induced by the pandemic, of how it is upending (or just ending) the lives of so many, including health care workers and their families and the most vulnerable, and in particular how it will affect those in level1-3 countries in socio-economic circumstances that do not allow for social distancing or adequate hygiene or have medical systems that can provide care and treatment for the multi-generational families living together in close quarters who are bound to infect one another. It is going to be devastating. I just hope we can get through this, continuing to demonstrate our heightened powers to adapt and connect and support each other in new and different ways, and emerge stronger. Wouldn’t it be great if we hold on to some of the work-arounds? It turns out some of these temporary solutions could prove to offer lasting benefits for our mental health and for the climate and environment if they were mainstreamed, including more telecommuting and virtual meetings, for example. Or as this piece recommended by a wise friend calls out:

“As Covid stirs our compassion, more and more of us realize that we don’t want to go back to a normal so sorely lacking it. We have the opportunity now to forge a new, more compassionate normal.”

— The Coronation by Charles Eisenstein

Pura vida people! Feast your eyes on some pura vida porn in Costa Rica, rafting dating before social distancing, obvi.

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Covid 19 may be the pura vida of viruses, but I hope it allows you to grab pura vida by the horns and hold onto it tight.

On a practical note, I’m not sure when I will leave Costa Rica or where I will land next. There are prospects in Africa, the Bay Area, and DC, but suffice it to say I’m not in a huge hurry. And neither is the world at large or potential future employers with all the uncertainties that remain.