What would happen…if everyone cared??

Weekly Writing Challenge: And Now For Something Completely Different

My friend, Bobby, always told me never to lend money to Nicaraguans. That was always my philosophy, too..never a lender or a borrower be. But, what would happen…if no one cared? Marina would go without a needed operation to remove a cyst on her thyroid gland because the public hospitals, where treatment is free, use dirty machetes to cut out unwanted tumors. (only a slight exaggeration)  A building contractor would pass on a terrific opportunity to be the jefe (boss) of a construction crew in a $250 million dollar resort because he couldn’t afford to be bonded. A pig farmer would have to let the pigs starve for lack of food. A taxi driver would not be able to provide for his family because the taxi drivers were on strike. When faced with these situations…what would you do? Would you care?

I wonder what would happen…if everyone cared. Would it make our world a better place, or would the passion of caring destroy us all…or at the least send us to the poor house?

My Top Ten Scenarios: What Would Happen…If Everyone Cared??

1. We’d have stories with happier endings.

2. We’d be dead in days. We should be grateful some are apathetic.

3. We’d be eating cat food because no one returned our money.

4. Real heroes would be redefined. There would be a rush on the sale of red capes.

5. We would all become insomniacs. Worrying about everyone would be exhausting.

6. Causes would quadruple.

7. We would all take responsibility for our own lives. The “Blame Game” would disappear like eight track tapes.

8. Politicians would stop sabotaging the economy, our environment, and our rights as human beings on this planet.

9. Chaos would ensue! Too many people caring about one another would be confusing. How would one prioritize the cause?

10. Passion would be the hallmark of our lives.

As you can see, there is a ying and yang to caring. I’ve never used a poll on my blog before. This is something completely different to me. Do you care enough to take my poll and add to my list?

The third option covered by the palm tree says, “I don’t know and I don’t care”
Since this poll is new for me, I don’t know how to fix it, yet.

If you are wondering whether we will have our money returned, I believe that people are inherently good. The contractor had a lawyer create a document that stated if he did not return the money he borrowed, his motorcycle was ours. Our taxi driver is paying us back by giving us free taxi rides in exchange for the money borrowed. Marina’s operation was successful, and she will pay us back the first of November….she always does. Baby piglets are on the way. As soon as they are sold, we will have our money returned. Living in Nicaragua is good…retiring abroad is better… caring for others is priceless.

Great Expectations

 

 

“There are two ways to be happy: improve your reality, or lower your expectations”
―Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes

Yesterday, a friend sent me a link to this article: Migration in the Americas. The first comment asked about the cost of living in Nicaragua, so I responded with information and a link to my blog. Throughout the day, I watched as the hits to my blog steadily climbed. By the end of the day, I had received more than 3,700 hits. Why? Is it because people are desperate to fulfill dreams of sipping margaritas under gently swaying palm trees, while watching the ocean waves lap at the doors of their tiki huts? Is it because of frustration and economic despair that life has so rudely thrust in their paths?

Comments ranged from curious to hopeful, and on the other end of the spectrum, from hateful to distorted with many bitter political viewpoints. Are we all doomed because we dream of a better life with great expectations? Are we fearful of improving our reality or are we expecting too much out of life?

We moved to Nicaragua without too many expectations, for I have learned that great expectations lead to great disappointments. Life has not been easy here. We knew better than to expect an idyllic lifestyle surrounded by margaritas with those cute little umbrellas poked into frosty glasses. Instead, we learned to take one day at a time, and improve our reality without playing the blame game.

I am not a victim of my circumstances. I consciously chose a simple, culturally immersed lifestyle and deal with the challenges it presents every moment of every day. As a result, I’m happy and fulfilled because I chose to be realistic and live without great expectations. Not that I lowered my expectations..I don’t agree with that part at all. I simply don’t have expectations. For me, life is easier without them.

Life in Nicaragua can be described with the Big Brother motto, “Expect the Unexpected.” After building a house in the worst flood in 60 years, encountering daily power and water outages, discovering that I have a severe allergic reaction to ant bites, a frustratingly slow internet, and watching my close friends commit suicide out of hopelessness and despair…I am still here. Why? Because this is….my life…one day at a time.

 

 

 

 

Fishing: A Perpetual Series of Occasions for Hope

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.
John Buchan

Early this morning, at the crack of dawn, two brothers borrowed our kayak and paddled offshore to place their net below the shallow waters of Lake Cocibolca. Within five minutes, they hauled up a huge fish, similar to a Sea Bass. It is the chicken of the sweet sea, a type of Guapote, with enough meat to feed a large family.

Fishing on Lake Cocibolca is not a sport: fishing sustains life here. Julio and Jose are among the many young men on the island in pursuit of what is elusive, but attainable. Fishing is hope…hope that they can feed their families…hope that they can haul in a big catch…hope that they can make life a little better for their families.

Fishing gives them daily opportunities to pursue what is attainable, because there are many things that are out of reach for the poor in Nicaragua…a college education…a secure job…quality health care..comfortable housing….to name a few.

Yet, because their needs are simple, they have no hopes and dreams for the unattainable. They happily fish through life with a sense of realism that astounds me. They are satisfied with what they have,and live without expectations for the unreachable. Therefore, they have few disappointments in life. A great day is one big, fat Guapote, or a net full of smaller, bony fish.

I wonder about this simple philosophy of life. Is it better to have a perpetual series of occasions for hope, than hope for that which is unlikely to occur? I think of the times I bought lottery tickets hoping that I would win the Powerball. Even winning a dollar on a lottery ticket was a disappointment to me. I was hoping for the unattainable.Now, it seems like such a waste of energy and worry.

What I have learned from watching Jose and Julio fish in the calm waters of our sweet sea, is that hope and reality are brothers in life. It’s like taking baby steps…one little step at a time…leading to the big catch. It involves taking a realistic view of one’s life, pursuing those elusive, but attainable Guapote, and having a perpetual series of occasions for hope.

The Front Line of Activity

fisherman and ferry

We have the best seats in the house and the front line of activity on Ometepe Island. At six in the morning, while sipping my coffee, I watch the ferry chug by our front gates and the fisherman haul in the morning catch. Do you see the palm frond obstructing my view to the left of the photo? It’s coming down today and I’m going to make a palm frond basket. The secret to creativity is knowing how to recycle the things that block and hide one’s view. Once the blinders are removed, life is full of surprises.

How do you remove your blinders? We all have them. Are they worth removing? I’d like to hear your thoughts.