As we keep reinventing our online media at the Howler we have expanded our readership and reached beyond our borders very successfully. For example, the May e-magazine issue reached over 60,000. We are also working closely with the Costa Rican Tourist Board to keep Costa Rica on the minds of tourists as they plan future travel destinations.

The Howler is also expanding its magazine sections to include a new area devoted to diversity. Our intent is to celebrate differences in society across cultures and communities. These differences enhance our lives in many ways that should be spotlighted. We invite your participation in this diversity initiative, as it encompasses more than you can imagine.

Pet adoption is another new magazine section where we hope to help meet the needs of so many animal rescue agencies around the country. Their dedicated efforts do not stop with the rescue of homeless pets. The end game is to place adoptable pets into loving homes so they can live full lives with their new forever families. The need to help make this happen is critical. It makes our communities not only more beautiful but brings us together through a common humanitarian cause.

When making your plans as you emerge from the unforgettable hibernation of 2020, remember Costa Rica is the place to visit. Howlermag.com is a trusted source of information about everything Costa Rican. Our online content covers a vast range of topics and areas of the country. There is no better source for gaining a well-rounded insight into what to expect when visiting, investing, and living here.

Unplug yourself from those Zoom meetings. Visit a place where you can breathe in fresh ocean breezes or crisp mountain air. It will revive and recharge you in moving forward with your life.

It is time to interact with each other. Of all the lessons learned in the past few months, the importance of human interaction stands above the rest. Remaining separated by social distancing measures is still necessary until we find a way to treat the risk effectively, but it has caused a deep need for contact. Step out and kickstart your life with an adventure to Costa Rica.

The beaches are naturally not crowded. There are mountain trails to hike and wide-open vistas stretching for miles in all directions. Yet, they co-exist with social access to cultural and human experiences.

Talk about COVID-19 and the new normal has weighed on the people of the world. We have all been affected by witnessing the world coming to a halt. I am inundated with videos and negative comments on a daily basis. At the same time, it has been great watching communities come together to take care of those in need.

Looking forward is the new focus, and making things work again is our new necessity of life. You get back what you put out. The power of positivity is vitally important now to show that survival is human nature.

I reposted a statement on Howler’s Instagram page that really makes sense. “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.”

For me, that says it all. Our focus on the future is the key. We’ve been dealing with an unprecedented experience. Regrets or embarrassment over our “old normal,” especially the ruts we found ourselves in, can help us be successful in new and different ways going forward.