Driving Through Alajuela and Crossroads

We took a small vacation this week, as you already know from previous posts. Yesterday was all kinds of wonderful driving through Alajuela, one of the states of Costa Rica. Even though that throbbing crazy mess that is San Jose is in Alajuela it's gorgeous once you get out of the city.We drove back through San Ramon and over to Sarchi.

Handmade furniture for sale. Anything you need to furnish your home can be found in Sarchi, Once upon a time that is where they used to make those crazy multicolored ox carts everyone associates with Costa Rica. The one land bridge into town was proudly painted with the same swirling designs and colors as those wagon wheels.

Jim had meetings with a few factory owners about his business idea. For once I skipped out on the meetings. I could see the places he was going were dust traps and laden with things like lacquer and wood stain. I have no wish to provoke my health so I spent a happy afternoon reading in the sunshine.

We drove back slowly, stopping for soup and fried chicken at a beloved bright green bus terminal before heading home. Today wasn't as pleasant or exciting. Jim went off as usual for his men's group. We had our gate open so that our friend Miss Violet could come and use the hot tub. I was working at my desk at the front window, able to see all the way to the front gate.

As I sat there I started to see a curious stream of Ticos beckoning to me. I kept waving them off. One of the drags of the gates being opened is that everyone and their brother wants to come in to sell you something. I thought they were selling, part of the endless parade of tortilla sellers, vegetable sellers, fish mongers, toothbrush sales (yes, that is right it happened!), cutting boards, you name it someone tries to tote it to your door.  It's a drag when you're trying to write, working on a book and everyone and their brother breaks your stream of thought.

Eventually I saw guys in polos in the same color with embroidery on them and I went out. Water company guys. Between my terrible Spanish and their pigeon English we got all turned around. I thought they were saying we had a leak from the main pipe. They were trying to tell me that they wanted to do something to the main pipe coming into the property. An impasse. Once Jim got home he had to figure out what they wanted. It made for something of a crazy morn.

One of the things I went away to do was figure out which way to go in my work life. We do have handful of small businesses that are making a profit, but what I do has gotten overwhelming without much reward. I am working longer and longer hours, making less money for it and the load has gotten overwhelming because I don't know how to say no. I have my book contract, I'm still chugging away at that. Add in mentoring others, other content provisions and a million other things. Add in the constant messaging of many folks and it's really gotten ten ton rock hard.

Then you add the stress of the recent drama, constant relentless idiotic comments from silly people that think I give an eff what they say over lying liars. People in that bunch starting to hit and harass business pages. It's too much many days.

I sense I'm right on a breakthrough on so many levels with working, it could go any way. I have to decide where to concentrate my energies. Right now it looks like the book, and a couple of other book projects that are looming afterward.

The question is can I pull it off? I don't want to end up like a recent blog post I read on someone I used to admires blog. He told of a movie he wanted to win a role on so badly. Weeks and weeks of research, buying props and costuming and preparation. Then he started indulging on massive weed smoking in the days leading up to the audition. He blew it. I don't want to blow it. Nor do I want to have another meltdown like I was on the verge of a few weeks ago. It is not worth.

Full speed ahead and damn those silly tornadoes.