Natalie Vartanian's Blog

Shoot for the Moon, Land on some Stars

Planning for Costa Rica has definitely been an interesting exercise. There are specific patterns in the way I go about things, or plan things. I have realized there is a definite comfort IN the planning and the details for me. The stretch is really connecting with the vision and just going for it – the spontaneity and boldness and BALSINESS of jumping and hoping the net shows up at the bottom. I got clear on that when I decided to commit and agreed to take this little journey. The planning piece of it has opened up another type of revelation.

When I first was approached about this trip, I thought to myself I would be totally happy going to Costa Rica, renting a house near the beach, simply work and lay out on the sand. The fact that I am away from here is more than enough for me! Maybe throw in some trips to the local town to get a flavor of what it would be like to live there; sounded ideal as is! Fast forward a week later. At this point we have talked to a slew of people and grown a page long list of things to do, places to go, amazingness to see. The list reads like this: Cloud Forest, River Rafting, Horse Back Riding, Volcanos, Surfing, Hiking, Ziplining … literally goes on and on. These are all things I DO want to do, but it got a bit overwhelming. I had a moment of “How am I going to do this ALL while I am there?” The feeling of not wanting to miss a beat and make the most of my trip there was present and strong! The visual of a kid with a birthday cake all to herself came up and the only thing stopping me from just shoving that sugary goodness in to my mouth is knowing the nasty tummy ache I would get the next day that mom warned me about (oh yeah, don’t forget the gazillion cavities).

What happened though and what I got clear on today is that it’s almost like you HAVE TO swing out to that other extreme. Because honestly, I was in one extreme to begin with: I just want to go down there and do nothing but work and relax near the ocean. Then I found myself shooting over to the other extreme of EVERY weekend we are going to be adventuring and exploring and doing amazing things ALL the time!!! Can you tell I felt like a crazy person? Just like a pendulum, it swings back and forth, from one end to the other, and eventually slows itself down and gravitates towards the middle. This middle is where balance lies and more accurately, where “having it all” lives. I got grounded today on “It’s all good! Even if we go and do nothing, it’s all good! If we are adventuring every single weekend, it’s all good!” It’s all good because we are there.

That saying “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars” I saw clearly. There is so much benefit from that dreaming and visioning. Who is to say you won’t make it to the moon? That would be incredible! But if you had not stretched yourself to the point of dreaming that big and daring that boldly, you would not have even landed on the stars and that would have been a shame. In a way, this whole trip was my version of that. My “moon” that I am aiming for is living all OVER the world, doing what I do and making a difference. It worked out pretty beautifully that I am landing in Costa Rica along the way. Not a bad “star” to cushion my fall. Trust me, I am NOT complaining.

March 10, 2011 - NV

posted by Natalie Vartanian @ 11:45 PM