eric haller

brief stay in LA

i will be hanging out with flora the dog over at my brother and paul’s place this week. bret is going to hawaii for christmas.

it’s a little cold here for me, and the light is at a certain angle of the sky that makes me ever so slightly depressed. actually, if it were warm, it wouldn’t matter.

i feel a little divided between two worlds. the goals, aspirations, and ambition most people have here are a bit different than those of most people in costa rica. when i first left for central america, i think there was a certain element of “turning my back” on all that here, and maybe a bit arrogantly so. i still think that for most people here it becomes an endless struggling cycle of never being satisfied and happy, but that isn’t the case for everyone. so i find myself thinking that maybe i should abandon the idea of living in paradise, get a place here and become a responsible member of society. maybe not follow the beaten path, but find one that doesn’t require a machete and a compass.

i wonder what is better suited for me, and it sometimes feels like i need to make a binding decision, and right now.  the reality of how it will turn out, i imagine, is much more subtle and complicated, just like everything else.  hopefully that means fun too.

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6 responses to “brief stay in LA”

  1. macara Avatar
    macara

    I think you will be able to find a happy balance for both lives that you are torn between. When there is a will there is a way. Just do a bit of thinking outside the box. Keep smiling, life is really good no matter where you are.

  2. lou Avatar
    lou

    1) The winter light is beautiful on the beach this time of year. Put on a a sweater and get out.
    2) Spend less time in front of your computer. Buy that index fund and discover.
    3) You are divided between worlds and will be until one becomes more important. Relish the interim.
    4) Always live in your idea of paradise.
    5) Never become a responsible member of society. Karl Rove thinks he’s one.
    6) If you get cold or lonely, come visit. Typhoon has Pho for lunch and we light fires every night at home. You can read Ben books.

  3. gimaha Avatar
    gimaha

    My advice is to find someway to be of service to humanity. You can do that either in C.R. or the U.S.
    Costa Rica, however, presents you with more of a tabula rasa. As a consequence, it is easier to see those paths of service. You already realized that with your front porch tutoring. There is a great deal of work that needs to be done there in preserving the culture, the flora, the jungle critters. There is also a great deal of work to be done in helping to build a bridge of trust between the Ticos and the Gringos.
    Look around you, and you will find lots of work that needs to be done here as well.
    Take stock of your considerable talents, gifts, and intelligence.
    Figure out where they can best be used.
    Look inward to find just what pleases you most. Follow that bliss!
    Get to work.
    I like Lou and Mac’s ideas.
    But write that book that you are going to read to Ben.

  4. citizenx Avatar
    citizenx

    “making choices” is strictly old century

    it seems to me that..
    now that the material weight has been shed

    you are left with the mental
    which is at once easier AND more difficult to dispense with…

    BEWARE los angeles and its denizens
    it is a place of insatiable dreamers
    ‘true believers’and suicidal optimists..

    ‘mobility’ is the currency of THIS century

    check out Brazil..CR is a walt disney attraction
    get out from under the US umbrella and….

    sing and dance in the rain.

  5. Jondi Avatar
    Jondi

    No advice here … I support your jungle lifestyle option. However you will remain on my short list of people to recruit for projects as long as you have free time on your hands. 😉

  6. Marc Avatar
    Marc

    The underdeveloped caribbean side of Costa Rica where we live is not even remotely disneyesque. That is why we hang here and not on the pacific coast.

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