A dream is manifesting

A big change is about to happen in my life. An adventure is brewing. A dream is manifesting. It’s exciting. It’s also a little scary. And it’s certainly been a long time coming. It’s happening.

I’ve long held a dream about living, if only for a while, somewhere other than the UK. Whilst I know there are many who dream of living here – I have this urge to be somewhere else. But where? There have been various contenders – Canada, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe … and then five years ago one country really made itself a serious contender. Costa Rica.

As my 40th birthday approached I knew I wanted to be someone else for it. I needed to mark the end of a tough decade in my life in my way, on my own. It had been a decade where I’d had two major losses (my uncle and my Dad), I’d rebuilt a life for myself, I’d gained new people in my life (most notably I became an Aunty twice over). I needed to honour what had happened and I needed to start a new chapter. I planned a Central American adventure – I had 3 weeks off work and wanted to make the most of my time. Initially I’d planned to spend that time in Costa Rica and Nicaragua but civil unrest broke out in the latter and I ended up going to Panama instead. My 40th was spent kayaking along the Panama Canal and swimming in Lake Gatun, the largest manmade lake in Central America.

It was on that trip that I first went to a place called Uvita on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. There was something about that place that enchanted me. That enthralled me. That enticed me to want to go back. It was also there that I met someone extraordinary, someone who changed my life, challenged me and guided me onto the path that I now walk.

The following year I returned to Uvita to make a big life decision. I was unhappy in the job I was doing and something needed to change. I walked backwards and forwards along the beach questioning what I wanted. To this day I don’t know whether it was the pounding waves of the Pacific ocean to one side of me or the vibrant jungle to the other, but something spoke to me. The words I heard that day resonated and pushed me forward on a path that felt right.

Last year, with pain in my heart, I returned back to that beach once again and the land reassured me that all was as it should be.

In September of this year I went back again. This time to talk to the land about my dream, about the adventure this is now about to begin. It took me a couple of days of being in Uvita before I was able to get down to the beach, my happy place, my sacred place. As I went to pay my admission fee (the beach is a national park) the guard said to me “aren’t you a resident?” when I paid the tourist rate.

I walked along the beach – reconnected with the land, remembering and honouring what this place had done for me, what she had given me in previous visits. The words of the guard echoed around my mind. Feeling rumblings in my stomach I headed off the beach to get one of the best empanadas you’ll ever taste. As I sat waiting for my food there was an American guy sat there who struck up a conversation with a German couple at the next table. He was recommending places for them to visit locally. He then turned to me and said “you live here too don’t you?“. In the space of a little over 2 hours 2 people both thinking I live here. Was this the sign I was looking for?

I went back to the beach, after my delicious empanada, still smiling to myself. Then the land spoke to me – “what more do you need?“. Nothing. I had what I needed. I knew the answer. The dream was going to happen.

At the end of November I’m going back to Costa Rica. Back to Uvita. This time for 6 months. I’ll be teaching the Wim Hof Method at some extraordinary venues up and down the central Pacific coast and perhaps also offering some of the other practices I offer.

I’ll be sharing my journey here and across my social media channels. But first … I need to pack!