Last year, a friend told me about a book called Taming Your Dragons. It sounds silly, doesn’t it? The basic concept is that we have one dominant “dragon” that impedes us emotionally: greed, arrogance, self-deprecation, etc. I remained skeptical and uncertain about yet another self-help guru’s theory until I read the section on my particular monster and literally laughed out loud because of it’s searing accuracy. My dragon: impatience!! Clumsiness and proneness to break things, along with my morbid preoccupation with time and mortality were all summed in this sweet little diagnosis. But if ten months in Costa Rica hasn’t taught me how to tame this puppy, nothing will.
Because this is a possible week in Paradise. Last Wednesday, after seeing my roommate off for the second time (the week before her flight was cancelled and she was never informed), I decided to finally repair the air conditioner in my car. Months of sweaty service wasn’t sufficient motivation to drive an hour to Liberia and wait all day to have my car fixed, but a last ditch effort to increase it’s value before selling it finally did the trick. After a splendid six hours at FrioGama, I drove away with a functioning air conditioner. Oh was that all? Only six hours waiting at a car repair shop in 90 degree weather at 80% humidity? Gee, why did I ever put that off? But with the cool AC blowing in my face, it was vale la pena.
Unfortunately, five minutes down the road the cold air turned stale. U-turn. Re-enter. Repeat AC check. Replace fuse. Return home. Indulge in blasting freezing air at full speed. Two days later: no more AC. Yesterday drive back. Waste more hours. Wait for bad news: must come back soon and wait 8 hours. Bad words bad words bad words.
But what is that obnoxious expression about an ounce of prevention? I noticed the air in my tires were low, so I stopped on the way home to fill them. Oh no, Demon of Guanacaste, don’t you even think about giving me a flat tire! I’m one step ahead of you this time, you jerk.
Which brings us to this morning. Wake up, get ready to work. Discover internet is out. Pack up computer, get in car, discover flat. Get out of car, get in garbage truck with garbage collector men for free ride, go to local coffee shop. Suffer through very spotty internet. Invite self over to bible student’s office near coffee shop to test internet. More spotty suffering. Call taxi to retrieve self and find another wifi spot. Finish work and calm self with reality that new paycheck has just been created. Miss important phone calls because place that has wifi lacks cel phone reception. Take taxi home and resist temptation to drink a six pack of beer before meeting. Practice talk. Write blog. Shorten sentences so as not to test patience of readers. Pray fervently to sell car and return to greedycapitalistservemenowimpatient America, where my dragon, once again, can thrive and grow strong.
If you remain impatient while living here, implosion seems the only logical event that could follow. Which I haven’t done. Which perhaps means I’m just a wee bit more patient than when I left. Pura Vida baby. Tranquilo, tranquilo. Bah! Just hearing someone say tranquilo raises my blood pressure!
