costa rica angie-aly idea

In April of 2025, I went to a retreat in Costa Rica at the Blue Spirit Resort. I spent a week there and it was absolutely beautiful, the food was amazing, and I enjoyed wonderful conversations, education, and meditation. With about 90 women and 5-6 men. It was just what I needed. At the time my divorce was pending completion and the emotional toll it all took on me was substantial. I never imagined that once what was supposed to be “love” could turn so cruel. Yet, it’s not like we all haven’t heard some similar story and sadly there is a level of acceptance to the saying “all is fair in love and war”. What is love? I had arrived at the retreat with a general bias towards relationships and women that was not positive and certainly not healthy for me. I knew I was making assumptions from my limited experience, but I was wounded severely. I came to the retreat hoping to help a healing process and was pleased with what I found.

I met women there who were kind, compassionate, educated, and ambitious. Some much younger than me and some older. I also met some men who were also welcoming and inspirational. The retreat was coordinated by a psychologist out of Santa Barbara, Diana Hill. It was an enlightening week of spiritual growth, rest, and an opening up of new perspective. One that in me was somewhat lost in the chaos of my life from decisions I made “with good intentions”. I knew I was meant to be there as a dream I had suppressed became more and more apparent as the week unfolded. I had neglected my creative side for the practical world of business operations, and I had blocked myself off from such creative expression. A main interest of mine had been cartooning along with some related creative communication ideas. When I shared myself and my inner passions, the people, mostly women were very supportive and encouraging. This was so refreshing as I had managed to isolate myself back home from such a positive environment. By the end of the trip, there was an eager desire to maintain contact and when I casually mentioned I welcomed ideas on how I might apply my creativity. I received an idea from Angie and Aly to do something about creative blocks or a character interacting with creative blocks. My mind jumped immediately to Creative Blocks as characters in themselves…working to free themselves…from themselves.

Pura Vida