These past couple of months have been a wild ride for all of us around the world. We have been inundated with everything in the news about the Coronavirus. The rate of spread and death has been televised and in all of our newsfeeds. It is a daunting problem confronting all media outlets, even the Howler.

That being said, our lives have certainly become much more mundane, and the need to avoid human contact is challenging for social creatures like us. It has brought out the best in many people, but not everyone. It’s not unusual to have heightened reactions, both to everyday problems and more difficult challenges. I have found myself to be on edge and snapping at small things. I have apologized way more often, either due to misreading a situation or just because I feel pushed. This aspect of the situation we are in is definitely not fun.

On the other hand, something unexpected like a seasonally early rainstorm the other day, refreshing our parched surroundings, gave us just enough energy to feel good for awhile.

Regardless, these times are exciting. I liken it to a game of poker. We have all been dealt hands and we need to play them strategically. You’re either all in or folding. This is the harsh reality of the life game we play. Life is what we make it; the onus is on us to go forward. Every turn and decision has a consequence, either good or bad. Bad turns do not necessarily put us out of the game by any means. It is just part of the play.

Our world situation right now is breeding new creativity and new angles for proceeding with business and life in general. I am very interested to see what creative people have been up to while in quarantine. Just watch what kinds of interesting things emerge from this!

I hope that you are enjoying some of the changes we have made with Howler’s e-magazine. Having embedded videos gives our readers wider, deeper and more dynamic glimpses of Costa Rica. Our hope is to entice many to come to Costa Rica and experience the tranquility of its surroundings.

Our website has undergone a total rebuild and is very clean and easy to move around. I invite you to go online and explore some of our past magazine issues and articles after you read this May e-magazine edition.

Whatever your quarantine experience has looked like, it does not have to be drowning yourself in a Netflix series. It can be a time of reinvention. It will force many of us to move in new directions. The old ways are gone and new paths are being laid. Those paths lead in directions many would not have considered a few months ago. But now necessity breeds opportunity. Leave the past and strike out on a new and different path. Leave a lot of the old norm behind and be part of the new norm. Open your eyes. There are lots of opportunities that you probably would have missed in the past.

I wish you all the best and look forward to openings and the rebirth of many things.
Costa Rica welcomes you. I hope to hear from you as you make plans to visit.