Tuesday, December 29

LIFE LE$$ONS

This is much too heavy a topic to explore on my lunch break but I wanted to stop a moment and regroup, consider that lessons learned are "wisdom" and it is to be treasured and passed on.
My gift to you for this new year is.....
"attitude is the key to your survival".

My favorite is "change or be changed" but that's another blog...

Attitude - It has been a trying half day Tuuuuesday, so far. I painted my heart out yesterday on those bars with red primer only to find out that it is water based and it HAS TO BE oil based. Jose worked hours and hours sanding off all the rust. The bars are about four years old and not primed properly in the first place.

Here's a photo of Jose sanding off the newly painted bars with a "good attitude". For me, it's been one mishap after another this morning. I learned AGAIN, check everything when you go for supplies, half my order was wrong and I had to backtrack. Never trust anything, the bottom on the box opened and two gallons of paint fell out, one opened and terracotta paint was spilt everywhere.
Thank God only one opened.
Lesson Numero Uno: CHECK YOUR STUFF.
I came home and did a gratitude list of all the things to be thankful for. Like, water, I have water so Jose can do all this wet sanding. "I have a house by the sea and feel closer to Thee."
I'm getting things done, finally. We do the bars in the shade in the morning and the fence in the shade in the afternoon. It works. The sun in brutal when you are working. I did take a couple of hours Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed sunning on the beach in my beautiful beach chair!!

Happy New Year EVERYONE and keep a good attitude.
It can always be worse.

8 comments:

Jen said...

I feel for you Teri! Yes, life in paradise has it's price but what we get it return is SO worth it. Congrats again on making it, a single woman on your own. Yes, you're making it over and over again but still...you're here. Just learned of another single woman that is returning to the states after only a few years.

Tica Macha said...

People wash up pretty quickly here if they don't learn to love it, even the hard stuff. I planted a lemon tree years ago just as a reminder to make lemonade when the going gets rough.
Tonight, I ate by candlelight because I had no electricity for a bit. There were NO LIGHTS, no where so I could see the stars... I made the best of it. Some never learn how to do this, even when they go back home.

Ines said...

Have a wonderful new year and thank you for your blog! I like the way you look at life. :)

Best wishes from germany!

sooz said...

Happy New Year Teri! You are so cool. So glad I stumbled onto your blog. I have learned so much about life in Costa. The TRUE life, may I say.
Susan

Tica Macha said...

I am sooo sorry I said it can always get worse. It did.

Shannon said...

I agree with what has been said here, a few times over! I have a lot of respect for you; what you do, and how you do it. You are speak and live your truth; and you share it! so thanks! You have tenacity, heart and soul. What a great combination! You keep your chin up, and make sure you make lots of lemonade, so you can drink it in your favorite chair by the beach! I am so sorry for the tough times that you and other have to endure; bad things do happen to good people, for reasons I do not know. You will find gratitude for many things, I am sure, while you and your friends go blindly through this tragedy. My thoughts are with you, for sure. take care, trooper.

katemeri said...

Hi Teri! Happy New Year! I like the new theme of your blog. Planting a lemon tree sounds like a great idea to remind us how lucky we are. Yes, life can be trying here but I'd rather have trying times in Paradise than back in the rat race. Pura vida!

Tica Macha said...

Oh Gosh, did I inadvertantly happen onto a "theme"( for YO-YO, I hope not.
Happy New Year to you as well!!
I need to get out there and get some new photos! Something to blog about, huh? Work, work on my house, that's all i've been doing.