DO Costa Rica sucked at being normal
This is part 1 of a series of articles about DO Costa Rica and its people.
“I suck at being normal.” This little, yet powerful phrase was Eric James’ opening statement to his awe-inspiring, hilarious talk at the DO Lectures in Costa Rica. By the end of the talk, we were very glad he ‘sucks at being normal’, as we came to see that this is what makes him an outstanding human being, with the stories to match. DO Costa Rica, in the same way, sucked at being normal, and I am very glad it did.
My eternal friend and always-down travel partner Mohammed Abdalla and I had, only a few months back, dreamed of an event like this. This had been while we laid on our backs watching the most amazing night sky at the White Sands in New Mexico after having just attended a very NORMAL industry event for solar energy.
Experiencing DO Costa Rica confirmed our vision and showed us the true power of going deeper, of seeking connections to the natural grid; that among people and with our mother nature.
Every little detail made DO stand out from anything I had experienced before. Rarely have I seen so many genuine smiles, the greatest measurement of success one could ask for, in one place. All my respect, admiration and appreciation to the organizers Ed, Pablo, Javi and Sebastian and the entire wonderful staff that came together to make this event as un-normal as possible.
DO was born from a beautiful idea, which found its soulmate at Puerta a la Vida, a place with an unusually fertile soil for transformation. Not only is the place itself a natural paradise, with monkeys, butterflies, bugs and mangoes for all. Along with nature’s abundance, the human spirit is here bound to flourish just as decisively, as just a few days there proved to all of us.
There have been a few DOers who, in honor to the name and eager to share the valuable wisdom of the DO lectures, have written about their experience in Costa Rica. Isra Garcia started us out with this introspective post, and followed up with some of the insights he picked up, here. Bryony Cole also summed up her top 6 lessons from the DO Lectures in beautiful prose in her blog, while Jared Angaza took interconnectedness to a new level (read here).
I may borrow some from their texts, but mostly I am writing as an introspection and an attempt to capture, honor and summarize the experiences and people that marked this remarkable journey.
The experience was too rich to just keep to myself, or even to share with only a few. So, this is an attempt to share openly, with whomever feels drawn to this information. I do this in the hope that these words may plant a few seeds themselves.
One of my favorite books, The Education of Little Tree, says: “Grandma said when you come on something that is good, first thing to do is share it with whoever you can find; that way, the good spreads out to where no telling it will go.” This is my intention.
Part 2 coming soon.
