my best friend

i believe i’ve come to overstand the definition of a best friend.

beyond the good times, endless talks, new experience, deep feelings..a best friend is a simple connection to a sense of divinity, a sense that without words you are truly understood. the point is that your best friend is not there for advice, direction, or even input, rather they are there. the one soul that reaches deep within you and you find yourself feeling more upbeat and more centered just by their presence.

i am also coming to understand that i’m blessed to have so many souls of this description enter my life. with an open heart it is amazing the variety of beats that life seems to drum up and all the different rhythms that seem to naturally shake your tail.

brady love anderson. june first two thousand and nine. mal pais, costa rica.
the one drummer that was always on my exact same beat.

a friend once gave me a quote that has been an inspiration and now remains a dedication to live by...
“Dear God, Please help me to be the person my dog thinks I am”

the eyes of a completely open heart, of unconditional love, and full admiration are the eyes that at this very moment i long to see. brady love had that middle name given to him from the moment i met him, till the moment i spread soil over his resting place, til the moment i tell my children of his legend. a best friend beyond words, always there.

as life continues to prove the energy that is created between beings, i realize that words mean less and feelings transpire so much more. anything that shakes your soul can simply not be described. it is simply overstood.

sixteen years of a shadow and sixteen years of a light.
leader and follower. friend and family. sidekick and frontier. adventure and stability. sleeping bag and hammock. ocean and river. hard times and good. constant and change. discovery and stagnant. history and future. sweat and tears. movement and stillness. familiar and unknown. challenge and complacency. gain and loss. fear and excitement. stumps and growth. new and old. song and dance.

for so long without knowing the music, the song and dance have naturally occurred. best friends complete the flow of life; helping to unfold each morning that awakes with a sense of security knowing you have a better half to lean on through it all. brady was such a large part of that bright light each morning. waking up to a head over heels in love husband and two loyal companions will make any woman feel she’s “standing on the moon”, unable to imagine anything less than that level of intimacy.

brady was and will always be my “home”. home has expanded since brady and i first met. finally a secure sense knowing that michael is “home” and my heart is safe. he left a month after walking me down the aisle. his job over all these years, was so well done. he was my heart, home and holistic family for sixteen years. with complete devotion, dedication, and dogma.

my prayer now is that i cultivate gratitude for all the beautiful souls that are in, have touched and continue to blossom within my life. after all the tears and a wrenched heart, i am filled with love for how much i connected with a being.

for this i come to understand that no words can describe the admiration, devotion, respect, sincerity, and amistad that is held for a best friend.

always there. no words needed. no physical presence needed. just an established unconditional love that will push you over any mountain and cross you over any stream.

thank you brady for all the years. your determination is my inspiration. all my love.

MORE is Less or LESS is MORE

everyone always says “less is more”
such a simple phrase that is now a common saying...and yet what is behind those three little words?
when packing less i still wanted one more shirt, one more book...yet i had so much less than when we had our 3 bedroom house full of so much more. how little is less i kept thinking? throw me a bone people i have 3 bags, and i’m still working for less? less has 4 letters and so does more, who made one better than the other? who decides what is less? why is the one thing i still find my self attached to considered “more”. i’m all about this “less thing” yet can i just bring along this one more??

after a week here and settling in it finally clicked.....the over used statement, “less is more”, finally had some real purpose and meaning. although i used it over and over again to encourage myself i never took time to think about it beyond the surface and i lacked the understanding of it’s true significance.......

more can be created and discovered by using and consuming less.

the more you put your mind to having less. the more that comes about.
when more of your surroundings are new and unknown, you have less to want and even need.
more time to think immediately equal less time to move throughout life in a fast unawake motion.
more appreciation and rediscovery of what you have enhances that feeling of wanting less.
more space to breathe and move about freely naturally keeps less coming into the house.
seems like more is conquering less, yet i’ve been pulling for her the whole time!


living in a new environment i am quickly learning how to create more out of less.

let’s use the example of trash.

there is so much MORE to trash. OK --anyone that knows me, knows i’m not afraid of another’s trash becoming another’s treasure- an old chair w/ some love can have a new home and so forth.
But back to the basics-less is more-and here trash is a real issue.
as many have to come to preach and teach you can almost eliminate all trash when you make it LESS.
here there is no garbage pick up, so quickly you think about how to use, recycle or put what you use right back into the earth. without trash pick up, recycling day, and compost bins from lowes.
yet isn’t that how it started? or did i forget to teach my third grade class about when the native americans had trash pick up days?
have we become so spoiled to convenience, that we assume we can do less and have more? why then is it just the “eco friendly” “hippies” “environmentalist” of the world are the ones who have caught on?
i’ll tell you there is no Sierra Club down here, we’re just in it together, because it is the circumstance. so by having less organization more is put on the individual.
yet i look at the states and within society we now have people making millions off the basic concept of being responsible for what you take and consume. people making more off of those not wanting to think about how to dispose less. it’s almost mind blowing.


of course this concept has been explored before leaving the states. i’d like to believe i’m a pretty conscious person. however w/ out someone coming each week to pick up your trash, recycling, just think...what could and would YOU do with the breakdown of your consumption??? i’d like to say i did my best to avoid adding to the landfills at home, but now i can say i’m again working again on ‘less is more’.


so to start the break down of putting less into a trash bag that has no more of a home than an unwanted mosquito.....

plastic is your worst enemy. and i can’t say i have any enemies. unless in a container shape that can be cut and reused as a planter, water pail, soap holder,etc. then the plastic just looms like a creepy guy in a bar you wish would stop staring at you. sure you make the best of it. think oh he’s had a tough life. so use him as a garbage bag, yet then there he is still staring at you. as time passes i don’t feel bad for him but rather think who thought plastic was a good idea? like who thinks it’s a good idea to keep serving a creepy drunk guy at the bar?

vegetables, fruit, organic matter oh...i can’t say enough good things... are your best friends. you wish they would always be around for the good company. You know they continue to enhance the life around you so you savor your time with them. the compost smiles like an old friend at a reunion knowing that every time a new person walks through the door and the party gets bigger...that the energy is only going to create more!

paper is like that solid work partner, it’s always going to be there and as long as you respect it and treat it right there will be a good balance. as time passes you learn so much more about your partner. what once seemed two dimensional and flat, changes as you have less around you more comes out about your partner paper. at times there to help you get things started and at others times simply there to encourage your creative spirit. amazing how much you discover when you don’t just assume it has no purpose or nothing to offer.

aluminum definitely looms and yet blooms. cans and tins have such a hidden beauty when put to a new use. aluminum is your friend from grade school that you see ten years later and looks like for a lack of better words a “knock out”. when covered and kept between the lines, not much is seen. but when revealed and used individually there is so much beauty. lighting up porches, growing gardens, resting paintbrushes, saving change, scooping food, it almost seems after all this time of knowing this person that now they can do just about anything.

glass here is like a sweet gem, a fragile god daughter, a sweet pea. though when in your possession you feel special, you know as you pass it on good things happen. most glass i should say is this special. you have a nice cold coca cola, enjoy every sip and then the pretty glass bottle goes right into a crate to protect her as she travels back to be filled up and bring about another smile to the next person that shares time with her. other glass i like to take just as much pride in by creating a candle holder, mosaic tiles, corking olive oil. there are however those unwanted bottles by the masses that get left out like stray dogs in the alley. those i’m working on, just as i wanted to bring home every stray or lonely pet, i’ve started a collection of the “random” glass that doesn’t have a special comfy spot in a crate. for those i aim to give attention and beauty.

less places to put things, less consumption, less trash =
more thought. more concern for mater. more creative recycling. more uses. more growth. more reusing. more organization. more self reliance. more collective understanding. more back to the basics. more appreciation. more awareness.

that’s that.
score card is for more!!! more is less. less is more.
not sure i’m choosing sides, but me and more are getting along just as well if not better than we were before i left.

our surroundings

our pad

photos of the new spot

flip flop

Flip Flop

flip flop. change. cambiar. trade. switch. turn. . . . . or a pair of sandal like shoes you wear to the beach.

this day brought new meaning to the word, and a lesson learned.

the howler monkeys were howling and the array of birds singing- pretty much the best alarm clock that shoots you right out of bed hoping you don’t miss anything. as the water boils for the french press it seems each morning the coffee tastes better. michael and i grabbed our cups, slipped on our flip flops and headed through the rainforest path for our first morning walk on our new home beach.

nothing like a cup of coffee on a morning walk. don’t get me wrong-i love that here and many places abroad the idea of “to go” is not an option. most places only carry solid glassware and it is just known that you are to sit and enjoy your coffee. almost anywhere you go coffee is offered as a pass time, to sit, sip, talk and enjoy. unfortunately the starbucks of the world have fed into my culture and with a hot cup of joe in hand it feels like it’s time to roll. with each sip of coffee and each new turn of an undiscovered corner I feel like a jack in the box just waiting to pop up through the top.

as we pass through the forest cove and hit the beach we both throw our flip flops off, more than ready to feel the sand under our tired feet. in much need of a natural pedicure i can feel my feet, body and mind are craving the rocks, salt water and shells underneath each toe. the flops can’t be flipped off soon enough. without thinking michael covers both with sand and studies the overgrown tree to mark our spot. i think nothing of it and just know from the beginning of this journey he has done nothing but take care of us.

the stroll is beyond my vocabulary and a picture will never do this place justice. costa rica has a more than less protected coast line and no house can be built directly on the beach. therefore after being use to studying the different porches and roof top decks that people build on their million dollar homes, here you jump to the sounds of coconuts dropping and huge branches taking their final plunge.

the air feels so fresh and the breeze invites you to just walk and walk. of course michael and i continue to be overwhelmed with the fact that we are really here. that we made it. that we worked through the last weeks ups and downs. that we are married. that we can just be together. that life needs more time to just take deep breaths.

heading back to our cove we approach the overgrown tree, dig our feet through the sand and no flip flops. really? so we of course dig deeper. than look at the other trees. the one we left the flops by is more than distinct and so we dig again. at this point i’m waiting for someone to swing from the trees like robin hood and tell me how they steal from the rich and give to the poor. i want to meet them so i can say we too are just getting by and in my bags to pack i only allowed myself one pair of flip flops. even more i want them to know i just broke them in after a week of blisters, since these flops were a wedding gift. then without words michael and i look at eachother and almost in synch say “guess they needed them more than we do?”

of course we had to reexamine the tree. maybe just to give a laugh to the person that had been or was still watching us. that’s when michael pointed out another pair of flip flops. black. nice. size 6. my size. no my thought was not “great a replacement” but rather ok- “let’s see how long these last” “wish we could tell the flop’s owner to at least cover them up?” and yet the voices in your head silence and again you realize- “someone must need them more than us.”

the walk back over a rocky road was not the most comfortable but as michael said we needed to start training our feet to endure a bit more. think about the caveman, the indians. now this is an inspiration for a challenge. of course the realization also set in... that we were not just all alone on our own private, desolate beach embarking as the first ones to hit the sand early in the morning was a wake up call.
once at our casita we didn’t let it change our plans. michael grabbed his board and myself just a towel. we headed back to the beach barefoot and just as excited.


we walk and find a spot to soak up the surroundings. the days pass quicker than you want or imagine. as the sun is going down we head back to the cove to call it a day.
pass by the overgrown tree...no sign of our flops but sure enough the black pair still there. now we are thinking is this good karma? michael had brought a new pair of flops for when his old gave out so he didn’t need a pair. so why is that here sits a pair of flops my size right next to where ours were taken. again we walk past the flops and hope the owner is reunited with them.

two days pass and each time we pass the lonely black flops we just smile at each other.
a lesson learned. once again less is more, and if you don’t have more than others they won’t want what you have. keep it simple.
on the third day of walking through the cove, the flops were still in the same spot. michael made the decision that my flops were flipped. he showed up to the house with a smile on his face. “they were still there and not going anywhere-someone should put them to use”

i slide them on, overcome with joy to have shoes or shall i say flops again. and of course what do you know i might as well have been cinderella for the slipper just slid right on and fit like a glove. i have to say the other running shoes and crocs aren’t quite the same for a stroll to the beach, so having some flops felt good; again my culture has spoiled me and i can’t complain for each shoe serves a different purpose and tends to make the journey better.

so who ever named the flip flop? are they meant to be shared and rotated as needed? like bicycles should just be left on each corner so people have transportation as needed? if we all just shared there would be a lot less “stuff” and less concern about “mine”. just the other day we saw a guy living amongst the trees and he flip flopped by having two flops, same size, different designs-there’s a way to flip flop. or is it that they flop and flip when you walk? they float and flop on the water. not quite sure but everyone loves a pair of flip flops. i’m not concerned with the flop in flips just hope they are all being put to good use.

mountain people are wise-BEACH people are happy

Sunday Funday

i’ve always had the mentality “sunday funday”. a day to just let the day be, no work, no checklists just a day to either hit the beach or the garden and to enjoy the day as it unfolds.
our first sunday in costa rica was more than a funday and some may have considered it work. after a week in the hills of montezuma michael and i were determined to get to mal pais and santa teresa about a 30minute drive from our house. we woke early with full intentions of catching the first 6am bus and making a day of it on the beach. as we sipped our second cup of coffee staring at the dirt road above our house with only signs of monkeys and birds we quickly realized others believe in my sunday funday theory and therefore buses were not running.
when life throws you lemons though you make lemonade....the backpack was ready and on my back, michael grabbed his surfboard and we were off...on foot.
we knew the hike to cobano was 7km and when your not use to seeing km you just tend to round down. we both looked at is as a good early hike before enjoying gallo pinto a tipical amazing breakfast here. each turn brought a new conversation and a good amount of laughter as we also realized no cars were passing us on a sunday so our outlook for a ride was looking slim. after studying about 5km an older tico man in a truck was approaching from behind us, michael quickly decided it was better for me to flag down the ride, and he was right. i jumped in the front and michael in the back of the pickup w/ his board. a quick conversation and ride and we were dropped off in cobano at the best local Soda (locally owned little restaurant).

once our bellies were full and another cup of coffee was running through our bodies the hike ahead 12km down the mountain to Mal Pais didn’t seem so bad. off again on foot using our own shock factor of what we were trying to accomplish as our inspiration. as the sun rose more cars hit the street, however cars do 2 people and one 6foot board no good. our hope was a truck or rental car suv. this part of the walk led to thinking of just how silly we were and even crazier that we were enjoying every part of it. wondering where we were on a GPS? who if they were here would be doing this w/ us and feeling the same? have we used up our hitching ride karma? michael realized when we had a rental car for the day we picked up 3 people, and between us we had already received 3 rides. as we kept our spirits up each car that passed the thumb went up and the hopes higher. finally as my dress was drenched and michael’s shirt appeared a different color a tica our age in an older toyota suv stopped. i quickly jumped in the back of the two door car and helped michael wedge his board in between the front two seats and through the back. it was not the quickest of moves and yet our driver just sat content w/ a smile on her face “tranquila”, which means “chill”

trying not to sit back and add my sweat to any part of her car and hold our 6 foot friend in place, i made sure to tell her how grateful we were. she confirmed that sunday is a day of rest and most people stay in the house w/ family, she also confirmed it was a bit crazy to think we could make the hike to mal pais but none the less we were making it!

the sand never felt so good underneath my bare blistered feet. the shade of the palm trees created a great home for the day as we put up our hammock and breathed a sigh of relief that our early morning vision was now a reality.
watching michael paddle out i assume was similar to watching your child when he takes off on a bicycle without training wheels. i’m not sure who enjoys it more but it felt so good. i tried my best to read and relax yet my senses were overwhelmed with new sights, sounds and a thousand thoughts. i knew that montezuma was where we started but that this is where we needed to be. the mountains have a wonderful serene feel and yet the beach brings the powerful more invigorating feel for us.

once read a bumper sticker that has stuck w/ me for years-----
MOUNTAIN PEOPLE ARE WISE. BEACH PEOPLE ARE HAPPY.

so well put, and a compliment either way. i figure wisdom will come w/ time, for now i’m into being happy.

as our bellies began to tell us what time it was, we packed up our little spot and hit the dirt roads for some comida. went to our buddies spot for a GOOD meal and realized quickly that w/out words we knew this would be our new home.

asking around and thinking of the spots we had seen se aquila for rent we thought it best to regroup w/ a beach breeze. conversation led to a walk and the next thing you know we were knocking on the neighbors door of a house that we already knew was our home.

david an older man from isreal answered the door. i began to speak in spanish just as i do in english -fast and w/ excitement. “English is better for me” he quickly interrupted. once he saw the passion in our eyes and amazingly enough was impressed w/ my spanish he handed me the phone calling the local guy Don Dago whom owned the house.

a hour after meeting Don Dago and his family, negotiating the lease in spanish and making sure michael was on the same page in english, we had ourselves a new home!
to seal the deal David our neighbor owns the best sushi restaurant in town and offered me work to make the move seem less stressful. had it not been for our two dogs back in montezuma i think we’d have never left the house.

went into the restaurant, met the crew, and was put on the schedule. realizing all buses that might have run have now passed we once again began the hike back home. overwhelmed w. excitement i felt we had just drank 3 double shot expressos...halfway up our third hill michael quickly grounded me. the sun would be down in less than 20 minutes and we were looking at a good 3 hour hike home. regroup. we headed back down to mal pais and knew that a good day should end w/ a solid ride home. standing there at the base of the mountain still having our hopes up for a free ride- we realized all that we accomplished in one day. no money could pay for that so we didn’t need to overanalyze what a taxi would cost to get home. on the ride back a surf board between us and the night sky i just wanted to stick my head out the window like a happy dog heading the beach and howl!!!!!!!!!!! tomorrow we’d be happy beach people!!!