What a Trip to a Small Beach Town in Nicaragua Taught Me

Yesterday, I arrived in a very small beach town known as El Transito. It's the type of place where you take a back road followed by another back road. To say it's a bit off the grid is an understatement.

Last night, I fell asleep on a hammock as a hard rain began to fall drenching both me and my makeshift bed. I tried for hours to fall asleep after finding a dry towel only to be awoken by passing chickens, roosters, and firecrackers. I found myself growing cranky questioning my decision to make the trek so far out of Granada.

But the longer I thought about it  the greater I felt compelled to rein in my discomfort and dial up my gratitude. How many people get to come to a place like this? I thought as a breathtaking show of lightning lit up the evening sky. 

I was exactly where I needed to be and slowly began to appreciate it's the imperfections that make an experience both unique and worthy of a lesson or two.

Lessons from Nicaragua

I arrived in Granada, Nicaragua a couple of days ago. And though I've been very fortunate in my life when it comes to travel, this is my first time setting foot in Central America. I'm glad I made the journey.

My first day in any new city usually consists of walking -- lots of walking. I like to get my bearings, explore the city, and see what makes a community tick. Yesterday, I walked around for about 5 hours before returning to the house I'm staying at for a brief rest.

The people here are warm and hospitable. They take care of one another and seem to move at their own pace. What I admire most is there isn't this frenzy or constant sense of busyness in their movements. Urgency doesn't seem to valued here as much as a focus on what is truly important. 

Since I've been here, I've taken personal inventory of my own habits back in the states and realize there is a ton of movement without always questioning it's utility. I think we can all slow down a hair without sacrificing our productivity. And when we do slow down we're able to be more present, collect our thoughts, and gain clarity on the bigger picture.

In time, our ambitions become less about gaining more and more about becoming more. We can try to BE and not just DO.