Pura Vida

For the past 10 days, we traded IV’s and code carts for iguanas and howler monkeys. Costa Rica held the wonder of a destination unknown to us, as well as a chance to be outside in sunshine for the first time in many months. The attitude in that equatorial land was “pura vida” – live it, love it, and while you’re at it – chill out.

The contrast to our previous two weeks in the cardiac intensive care unit could not have been more profound. When we first boarded our plane, we were as tightly wound as a coiled spring. We had just come off of being on call every third night, taking care of critically ill patients, while simultaneously writing a weeklong diary for Slate.  When we landed in San Jose, however, we quickly succumbed to the balmy air.  Life slowed down to a crawl.  We existed much like 85% of Costa Rica’s wildlife, taking daytime siestas and spending evenings indulging in delicious casadas and gazing up at the amphitheater of stars.  We soaked in hot springs next to an active volcano, and went for long walks on deserted beaches in search of the best seashell we could dredge up.  Simplicity ruled, and suddenly “pura vida” seemed attainable on a daily basis.  Boston and the hospital felt as far away as the moon.  Our pulse slowed from a resting tachycardia to one barely able to sustain life. We adapted quickly.

While we luxuriated in our pleasure reading, and time to spend together away from our pagers, we realized our conversation frequently turned back to ruminations on patients who had touched us over the past 8 months.  While we stared out at the Pacific, we began to realize that despite how much we give up to become doctors, we love what we do.  There is very little that compares to saving someone’s life, or being with them in their most vulnerable moments. 

We returned to Boston to start our first night back on the wards on call. I cannot claim that I was able to employ my newly discovered sense of “pura vida” in the hospital. Just as I had expected, my pulse quickly returned to its elevated rate.  I did, however, take the knowledge of how lucky we are to be doing this, especially together.  Much like this blog, stepping out of our daily lives for a moment, allowed us to realize that becoming a doctor is not about living to do it, it is knowing that you cannot live without it.

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