We've read the books, jumped on several consulting calls with locals, watched other people's YouTube v-logs, and followed the gobs of posts within Costa Rica social media posts. It's been a year and a half of planning and thinking through all the details to make this month-long experiment a success.
Here we are days out from our departure. We should be all set then, right?
Eeeeee.
Eeee.
No.
Excitement has turned to fear and questions.
So many questions...
Will our kids get homesick? They like their home and routine; will they like this adventure?
Will our kiddo on the Spectrum be ok with the two plane rides down and the two back? Will we escape public meltdowns? Will the people sitting behind us be understanding? Will she ok be in the tiny bathroom on the plane?
Will we be able to fit everything in our luggage for a month? Will our first flight leave on time so that we don't miss our connecting flight? Will all of our bags arrive? Will they all fit into our rental van?
Will we all make the month without getting sick? Are we just asking to get covid? Will the travel exhaustion lower the seizure-threshold of our oldest? What if she has a seizure? What if it's a bad seizure?
Will our fair skins be ok for that long in the sun, that close to the equator?
What if somebody steals Lainey's iPad that she uses to communicate with us? Can we get a replacement iPad shipped to us quickly?
What if it's foggy on the days that we are supposed to visit the volcanos? What if we don't see any sloths? What if a monkey steals our flip flops? What if a scorpion finds it way into our beds?
What if I can't get up on the surfboard and look like a fool? Will our wi-fi be sufficient to work and school remotely? What if everything costs more than what we are thinking? What if all my employees quit?
Is this REALLY a good idea?
Slowly thinking through logistics is what got me to eventually realize that we could still adventure, even with three kiddos and one of them having some extra challenges.
At some point though, the logistics and planning can get in the way of the adventure and WHO you're adventuring with. One of my favorite Pixar movies is Up. I cry every time during the opening scene of Ellie and Carl falling in love and growing old together. Though timid at first, they follow the motto of one of their heroes: "Adventure is out there!" They live life and pursue adventures as they come. After Ellie dies, Carl reflects: "You will always be my greatest adventure."
So, yes, this adventure may all be a disastrous experiment (though I suspect and hope it won't be). Our plans may alter. We may miss things due to weather, sickness, or things outside of our control. Fears of logistical failures still very much exist.
The whole point of this adventure, though, isn't where we are going or what we are doing.
It's who we are doing it with.
It's for Sara.
Lainey.
Owen.
Chloe.
Me.
(And the very special added bonus of sharing parts of our adventure alongside Mom and Dad McD, Samuel, Tim, Mary, Mom and Dad Spit, Scotty, Jeffie, and Lincoln.)
Adventure is out there.
And it's also right here.
