Nurse on the Run

A final wrap-up of my amazing surf camp vacation in Costa Rica!  If you want to catch up on all the fun activities from throughout the week, check out all my recaps…you won’t be disappointed.

Part I:  planes, trains, and automobiles
Part II:  surf’s up!!
Part III:  becoming a yogi
Part IV:  fun odds ‘n ends
Part V:  more odds ‘n ends

As you can tell, I clearly had an amazing vacation.  I was hoping to get away from it all, have fun, not think about work, and get out of my comfort zone a little bit.  Despite the nightmare that I had about work, I like to think that I met all my vacation goals.  Here are some of my thoughts about my surf adventure vacation.

pura vida

 
“Pura vida” is a phrase used in Costa Rica which means “life is good,” and translated it means “pure life.”  What’s this “pure life”?  A week with no make-up and no hair dryer.  (I think the last time I did this was before I ever started wearing make-up!)  Feeling sick and then getting out to surf and feeling AMAZING.  The first time you get up on a surfboard.  The first time you have enough time to think “Oh my goodness, I’m really surfing!”  Morning walks on the beach.  Just enjoying life.

I realize that all of this is easy to say when you don’t have to deal with the every day issues of working, buying groceries, paying bills, etc etc.  However, being in Costa Rica taught me that you’re supposed to enjoy life.  Anyone who reads my blog knows that I’m not happy with my job (understatement of the year…) or with where I live.  Many people in Malpais were people who came to visit, fell in love (either with surfing or with someone), and gave up everything to move there.  Costa Rica isn’t quite like the United States, and many people don’t have TV, internet, or newspapers…crazy!  While I’m not sure I could be so cut off from the world like that, it’s easy to see how happy these people are.

My surfing group. 

Interacting with the other people in my surf group also taught me a lot.  These people like their jobs and have traveled the world!  I thought I was well traveled (I’ve been all over Europe, except for Eastern Europe) until I met these people…they had discussions about which airport is the best (Singapore apparently has showers…) and compared their African safaris.  Many of them traveled a lot for work, but they all had these great adventures to share.  At the risk of sounding very one-dimensional…all I can really talk about is work.  I don’t know if it’s because it’s all I can think about (the hatred is all-consuming) or if it’s because I’m really just that boring, but I didn’t have much else to talk about.  I’ve never felt so uninteresting in my entire life! 

Don’t get me wrong, I had a lovely time, but it really made me think about my life and how I’m not happy with it.  You only get one life to live, and I almost feel like I’m wasting it here.  I realize that not every day is going to be mind blowing and filled with adventure, but there’s much more to life than waking up, running, thinking about how much I hate my job, going to work, and coming home and eating ice cream.  People at work comment how I’m always going somewhere…weekend trips are my new thing!  It’s what I have to do with my time because otherwise I just upset about being in Pennsylvania.  This is great, but the daily life really gets to me. 

So what does all this mean?  I wish I could tell you that I just quit my job, but obviously that is not the case since the entire world would hear me screaming with delight.  However, I am pursuing opportunities in other cities, and I’m trying to figure out exactly what to do with my life.  I need to try another nursing job before I totally jump ship on the profession, but wherever I am next, I would love to work part time in either a running store or bakery.  In the meantime, I plan to try and make the most of being here.  Reading more, weekend trips, doing more than just sleeping in and rushing to work.

In a bigger perspective, I hope to take more trips like the one I just took.  Many people (especially those with families) have told me that they’re jealous about my trip and are shocked that I actually went to Costa Rica by myself.  Just last night, one of the nurses I work with told me, “I wish I had done something like that when I was younger…I can’t do that now that I have kids!”  Not that your life ends when you have kids, but being young and single means that there’s so much that I can do!  I would like to go skiing this winter…I think it’d be fun to learn to sail…and I definitely need to go surfing again.

This is getting long, but my main point is…you only get to do this life thing once, and you might as well make the most of it.  We all deserve to be happy, and while that means different things to different people, life is too short to be spent being miserable.  (Trust me…as a nurse, I know this for sure!)  I really hope that things will be changing for me soon, and I hope to have some exciting things to share with you in the future!

What makes you happy?  Big trips?  Weekly activities?  Have you ever been on an adventure like surf camp that you would recommend?  I’m open to suggestions.