Coco Capsule

 To all of our sunbird friends leaving for the north now: bon voyage, see you soon, auf wiedersein, ciao and enjoy the spring and summer.  And to many, thanks for remembering to ask if we needed anything when you came down a few months ago.   (Personally, I owe thanks for large safety pins and packages of dried sage.)  

But there is more, and these actions mean a lot. Two friends saw back-to-school items in U.S. stores at a dime on the dollar, and scooped up a couple of hundred bucks worth of notebooks, pencils, backpacks and other sundries. They stocked the local high school when they arrived in January. Noting the needs of a local family with three young teens sharing a bike, a Minnesotan somehow managed to bring two more bikes in to Costa Rica along with helmets, bike locks and lights.  And let’s thank the Canadian couple who took advantage of a shoe store closeout, swooped in with a wad of Loonies and simply bought. They figured that when they got back to Coco, they would find needy and deserving takers. Las Playas is known for organized fundraisers for everything from spay and neutering to computers for schools, tagging sharks and helping the local clinic modernize. But often it is the simple and anonymous actions that count. These people all deserve our thanks.

These random acts of kindness are often founded in spontaneity and they benefit those in our community. As our friends and neighbors enjoy their time back home, use your own creativity and initiative to add to the lives of those still here.

–Kent Carthey

kcarthey@aol.com