People, it’s been a while since I’ve done any updating. I’m now in Costa Rica. Been here for about 7 months. This city isn’t small but it has the feel of a small city. There’s not many skyscrapers or wide boulevards. It’s like the main structure of the city layout and character hasn’t changed in decades. Kinda dirty. Lot’s of vegetatation, especially adjecent to the 4 rivers that cross the city.  While driving , one doesn’t actually see the rivers because they lay below the city. You could say that the city sits on a mesa above the rivers. Yet away from the rivers, there are many streets with no trees and with a hodge podge of types of cement of various levels that make up the sidewalks.  

But the job is enjoyable. This is a whole new world. It’s nothing like any job I’ve had. Well, the closest is working for the military overseas. There’s lots of benefits but lots of restrictions. Unfortunately, I haven’t got into the Costa Rican society. Yet, I have gone out a few times and had a few beers and talked with locals. I went on a date. I’m trying to make Costa Rican friends, but not trying hard enough due to I like being alone and I find it difficult to initiate conversations with strangers. I haven’t always been like this. It wasn’t my plan to become the person I’ve become.    

Noticias: I bought a car. I haven’t owned a car since 2003. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have all my ducks in a row. Apt, job, free time, health, car, disposable income….all checked. I have a wonderful balcony where I am king. And nobody can see me, well, without binoculars. Drinking only on weekends and no smoking. I miss the happiness and moments of ‘zen’ that smoking gives me, but it does have negative physiological effects that have become increasingly annoying. 

Roadtrip: 

I’m out of the city for the first time. I’m traveling with an old friend, Richard, to a small touristy town called La Fortuna next to a volcano, Arenal. The town attracts tourists because of the hot springs in addition to the volcano. This place is fairly warm, tropical, humid, love it. Richard has had trouble with drinking before and now he’s on a bender. I’m not drinking and he’s pissing me off but he’s a good friend so I tolerate it. 

The first night he was here, in San Jose, we celebrated and drank a lot, which resulted in me enthusiastically opening the front glass door to the apartment building lobby and broke it, which could have gotten me into hot water. Fortunately, nobody said anything more.

San Jose can be chilly. It’s higher up elevation, much like Medellin, eternal spring. But I miss, and prefer, the hot humid climate of Miami.  

People at work are worried about what the Trump administration is doing. Cutting government waste and therefore people are going to lose their jobs. I’m cool with it. If I lose my job, I go back to where I was, which wasn’t bad.

Conclusion: It’s never too late in life to start a new job or live in a new place. 

I went to a cocktail party hosted by the Italian Embassy. I willed myself to talk to others. I talked to the Italian Ambassador and to a retired artist, retired doctor, and many others. It was a hit. Also, as I was waiting for the event to begin, I saw a young woman looking at some historical items on display so I approached her and acted as if I was a tour guide at the Library. I was upbeat and friendly and consequently she responded positively, and we had an enjoyable conversation. Playing make-believe in an imaginary situation. Conversation ended. I didn’t ask for a phone number, perhaps could have acquired it. I just wanted to talk to someone, and conversation in Spanish is an awesome plus, too.

Social commentary: 

At work my co-workers annoy me but I don’t say anything. Is that wrong? They think I’m a nice guy, but I’m not, I’m just holding my tongue. Is this a proper way to behave? I’m not sure. I have to work with these people, so if I’m honest and piss them off then I have to go back to work and face them. Perhaps I’ll be honest with them, but in the past that has ended badly, so now I’m gun shy about being honest. 

Secret of success:

People talk about how to get ahead, like what we NEED is a good education, money, or friends in high places, but I present something people don’t talk about but is very helpful to success: DELAYED GRATIFICATION. What is it? The ability and/or willingness to postpone immediate pleasure for a bigger prize in the future, sometimes a distant future. 

What are the benefits of delayed gratification? A better and more rewarding education that leads to a good career. A job that pays more. More money in the bank account. A rewarding retirement plan. A long marriage. A marriage that is happy and fulfilling and therefore a happy family with children who are confident. To make a long story short, delayed gratification leads to a higher standard of living. 

Years ago I read about a study that was done, a human experiment. In a room was placed a table, two chairs, and on the table a sweet, a candy bar I think. In one chair sat a child and in the other side of the table sat an adult who was a member of the experiment team. The adult told the child that he would leave the room and the child could eat the sweet but if the child waited the adult would bring back an even better sweet. The adult stayed out of the room for a bit and the child found themselves in a difficult situation, no? Some ate the sweet and others resisted temptation. They repeated the experiment with many children. And then the Experiment Team followed the lives of the children until adulthood. As you can guess, the ones who resisted temptation had better academic success and more success as adults. 

So this leads me to the question: can delayed gratification be taught or is it innate? Both, some people are born with this ability and some need to be taught and some unfortunately, will never master it. 

Today in our society we shouldn’t just teach traditional education but also teach delayed gratification: HOW to do it and WHY it’s important. 

Until the next report, my friends. I’ve got news brewing.