Hitting Send

Since arriving in Costa Rica, I’ve been curious about the expression “Pura Vida” which I saw splashed across billboards, towels, t-shirts and heard often from the locals. While I knew that pura vida translates to “pure life”, I came to understand that the meaning encapsulates a Beautiful mentality of the tico culture. Pura vida is used as a greeting to mean both hello, goodbye, all is good, and even thank you, rather like the Hawaiian “aloha” or the Australian “no worries”, but holds even greater meaning, as it also encompasses the philosophy of living in balance, good spirits, and appreciation of the Beauty of the moment. While contextually it holds other meanings, such as “full of life”, “this is living”, “going great”, “cool” and even “f#ck it” this Lovely expression’s meaning is a mindset which recognizes that life is short and that it’s important to see the good in the grander scheme of life, in appreciation for community and the ability to persevere.

“But where did the expression come from?” I asked repeatedly, “Who started it?” With some research I’ve learned of a couple of theories about the origin of “Pura Vida” as the Costa Rican emblem. Wikipedia and other sources all agree that it began in 1956, some saying that the expression got its start from an exchange between surfers and the locals. According to Jose Melendez, a Costa Rican journalist who has done extensive research on the phrase, the expression arrived when the film Pura Vida arrived in Mexico in 1956. The main character in the film is an eternal optimist who cannot seem to get anything right, but maintains a great attitude of pura vida, the pure life which arrives with a positive mindset and appreciation for the good.

Pura Vida is a mentality of living in a flowing way which allows an appreciation for the Beauty of the moment and the gifts it holds. The expression carries the knowledge that all is in harmony and should be appreciated. As I sat on a Glorious sand beach where the lush greens of the mountains meets the clear blue of sea to watch the Sunset’s orangey glow across the sky I looked up at a local couple walking, “Pura vida,” they said, smiling. It is in these shared moments of Gratitude for the Beauty which makes its way through our lives that real understanding and appreciation for the saying will stay with me for the rest of my one precious, magickal and pure life.

Love and Blessings,
Antonia