Beautifully Off Course

My "plan" couldn't have gone off course more than it has in the past months, since August really. I had this grand idea that I'd find a dream teaching job abroad right off the bat, continue my comfortable long-term relationship, and do the big girl thing. As of July 2013, I accepted a position to teach in this convoluted jungle town of Puerto Jimenez. Not exactly the dream job I had hoped for (but it was better than the alternative of unemployment), and a month later, that comfortable, long-term relationship shattered around me faster than a delicate vase on tile floor. I've also never been so utterly broke and less of an "adult" in my life. None of this was in my stream-lined, unalterable plan.

And then that "rock-solid" plan was altered. Blown totally into smithereens. My plan and therefore life as I (thought I) knew it was detonating into a mushroom cloud of chaos.

 And, honestly, it's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I am free of my own pressures, and I am happier than ever. Reading this article brought all of my previous conclusions on the topic together in an article written by a girl who has also (clearly) found the joy above the chaos. Each thing she says has been so true for me, and it is beautifully unexpected.

20 Beautifully Unexpected Things That Happen When Your Plan Goes Off Course

http://elitedaily.com/life/20-beautifully-unexpected-things-that-happen-when-your-plan-goes-off-course/

It is true that I have learned to deal with conflict (hopefully with grace), and I never knew that I was so resilient. YES my true friends have shown their faces and absolutely stood by me more than I could ask for (except that one, but we all know what happened to him...haha), and although I have none left, my savings DID come in handy when I was offered that second-round interview in California. I have met new people (one who even cooks for me and captivates me), and I mean come on, I'm a tour guide and tutor for a living and a surfer for fun - clearly I have found opportunities I never would have dreamed for myself!! I absolutely have a renewed sense of gratitude for those friends and family members who do support me on this wild journey, and for the experiences I am lucky enough to encounter. I have learned to be resourceful under pressure, and I definitely trust myself more in my decision making skills and B.S. filter! Going with the flow is much easier for me now too - after all, it is the Tico way!

Clearly, I have also learned that this plan is much better than the one I could have imagined (just as the author states in #20). I still have moments, not so seldom, of sheer amazement..."THIS is MY life?!?! It's so awesome...how in the world did I land in the middle of something this marvelous?!" Then I imagine how my life would be if I had stuck to that plan, and I now think that mushroom cloud of chaos was more of a springboard to awesomeness.

Granted, I have no job planned after this summer, but maybe this little hurdle is just another promising complication. :)

Also, here's a little clip of the falls at Dos Brazos that Paco and I unexpectedly discovered! :)

“I guess sometimes the greatest memories are made in the most unlikely of places, further proof that spontaneity is more rewarding than a meticulously planned life.” 
― J.A. Redmerski, The Edge of Always