What can I do for you?

What a spring it’s been! (Even after 15 years in Costa Rica, I think of this time of year as spring. It resembles autumn in some ways, with crunchy leaves underfoot that have crisped slowly throughout the dry season, and then the advent of the rainy season bringing us indoors in the afternoons. However, there is also something very springy about the lush green that flourishes almost instantly when those first rains of invierno hit the parched earth.)

Last week, I passed the eight-month mark of this year of daily posts about Costa Rica. I want to make the most of the remaining four. This project, undertaken during a stressful time as an excuse to celebrate and re-embrace my adopted country, and simply to get me back into the habit of writing every day, has taken me to some unexpected places. It has made me some new friends, reinforced old friendships, and even led the way to new professional projects. It’s gotten me out the door to events and places I’d long meant to experience. It’s provided me with solace and routine during a crazy year. It has also been, by design, a hodgepodge. I’ve thrown all kinds of things into the pot, played around with daily and monthly themes, and took a detour into emergency-response coverage when COVID-19 turned our world upside-down.

I am very conscious of the fact that every single person who reads any of my posts is having a hard time right now, and also that the country where I am sitting as I write these words – imperfect as it is, like any country or any person –  provides a lot of joy and hope. As I take a moment to plan out the next four months of posts, I’d like to know what you’d most like to read and see in this space. Happy photos? Recipes? Little translated gems from Costa Rican literary geniuses? More news about people who are doing wonderful things in this country? Fun facts and history? Deep thoughts, or fun escapes? Is there anything in particular I could share here that might brighten the days ahead for you?

Thank you for reading, and for any thoughts you’d like to share.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.