Simply Me.... (or, I'm not more important than anyone else, we are all human beings)

I have been Simply Living in Costa Rica for the past 2.5 years, I love it here and the community of friends and "family" that support each other in the San Isidro de General area. I have been living and Simply Helping Others in an Indigenous community called Rey Curre' for a little more than a year and have learned a LOT!.

One wise woman once said that it often takes a while for the living to catch up with the believing and I have found that to be true. There have been times when I gave perhaps more than my share and that choise caused me to become overwhelmed. This year one of my goals is to share more appropriately in ways that do not overwhelm me personally. I am being more careful to check in with my priorities, values and ethics as I consider the decisions set before me.

I choose to support small local businesses and creative individuals and prefer not to support large corporations. I often shop locally by buying produce in farmer's markets, I visit my local farms and buy eggs and milk from my neighbors. I am avoiding the use of most machines and most plastics as well as most processed foods. I prefer to use the buses and other public transportation at this time. I grow a lot of my food. I make my dishes out of local jicaro gourds, I wash my laundry by hand and I try to keep a natural daylight schedule so that my use of electricity and artificial light is kept at a minimun. I do not use a refridgerator (yes, that is possible in the tropics). It is my goal to wear only linen clothing in the near future, I will choose to buy and recycle the linen clothing that is fairly easy to find in our local Ropa Americanas, which are similar to discount and thrift stores in the states, often the clothes here still have their original tags and have never been worn. I will continue my quest to live simply as well as frugally and to travel light and often.

In order to help people this year, I have decided to make and sell handcrafted, handcarved jicaro gourd dishes and recyled fabric shopping bags and clothing (soon mostly linen!). Some of you will see me at the Feria in San Isidro on Thursdays (when I am able to be there) I have had a special relationship with dragonflies throughout my lifetime, look for their presence in my designs as you K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly) and "Live Simply so that others may simply live". I also am researching ways to accept donations from others who would like to help me as I Simply Help Others, my intention is to use 90% of those donations to directly help others and to only use 10% of donations for administrative purposes. (yes, thanks to the tithing principal taught in the Bible for the idea.)

Sincerely and
Simply,
Lesa



As always 10% of all sales will go directly to help others in need. I will chose to hire disadvantaged people first, to buy locally from small vendors. I will give to my community - support, laughter, beauty, encouragement and love