A note from Pastor Travis 5/26/22

Dear FUMC Family and Friends,

While attending a family wedding in Costa Rica a few months back, I encountered the phrase “Pura Vida” over and over. Though probably unofficial, it is the motto of Costa Rica. If you translate it literally, it means “pure life.” However, a direct translation doesn’t do enough to capture the depth of the way that the phrase encapsulates the ethos of the country. On the website internationalliving.com, Nazareen Heazel defines the phrase as “living the good life…cherishing simple pleasures…spending time with loved ones…and enjoying a slow, relaxed pace of life.”

I’m sure that there are many people in Costa Rica who are harried and stressed, just like everywhere else. However, in my short time in the country, I think that Heazel’s definition encapsulates my initial, limited impression of the country. It sounds nice and idyllic: the way we should all live. However, I must admit, at first, I experienced the “slow, relaxed pace of life” as frustrating. It meant waiting 30 minutes for a waiter to take your order and another hour to get your meal. It meant that the appetizers came after the meal and were delivered at the same time as the check. As I waited for my food those first few times at a restaurant, I reminded myself that the fast-paced lifestyle of New England, where the restaurants try to get you out as soon as possible so someone else can have your seat, does not need to be the standard. I told myself that I was on vacation and needed to relax. I reminded myself that the fast-paced table service that I was used to wasn’t better. I told myself these things, but I still felt impatient and antsy. Where was my food?  

Then our youngest daughter, Ashley, saw a rooftop restaurant and suggested that we eat dinner there. We climbed the 5 stories to the top, took our seats, and realized that we had an unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean. Sunset was still over an hour away, but that wasn’t a problem. Pura Vida – a slow pace of life. We eventually got our drinks, and while waiting to order our food, the sky noticeably changed, taking on those first colors of the sunset. We talked and laughed and watched the sunset, stage by stage, over the ocean. Our food eventually arrived. It was delicious. As I watched the sunset, I finally began to relax and enjoy the slow pace. Pura Vida. Over the next few days, I embraced that slow pace of life, knowing that I would be back to a fast-paced life soon.

I share this experience because summer is coming, and during the summer, even fast-paced Metro Boston slows down. We take a moment to breathe, “cherishing simple pleasures…spending time with loved ones…and enjoying a slow, relaxed pace of life.” In church talk we call it Sabbath time. We take time to remember that after the work of creation, God rested, and Jesus could often be found alone on a mountain praying. These are our examples of how to live. 

This summer, take time to relax and be present to your family, your friends, and to yourself. I hope you enjoy long walks and longer conversations. I encourage you to take time to enjoy the sunset, and if you are an early riser, a sunrise or two. In early June, 7 planets will be visible just above the horizon in the hours before sunrise. If you can get up that early you will catch a sight that has mesmerized people long before written history.

I also encourage you to include time with God in your summer plans. I hope you take time to participate in worship and that you offer up prayers of thanksgiving for family, friends, and the sunset. I hope that you rediscover the blessings of silence and celebrate the gift of laughter. I look forward to our summer together, as we seek the good gifts of life in the presence of the Creator of life.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Travis