Keeping Busy and Loving Life in Panama

The funny thing about life in Panama is that, for me, time seems to go faster. I have been here for six months and feel like I just arrived yesterday. It is a fascinating dynamic for a country that has a “not today” approach to life. I know Panama is located close to the equator, just over nine degrees north, but surely that can’t be the reason! The sun shines for about 12 hours a day all year long (something that doesn’t happen back where I come from in Virginia) making the days longer in the winter.

Maybe it is the numerous friends I have made. They come from all over the world, each with their own intriguing story. Like me, the common thread is about the experience we all want at this time in our life. In just a short time, Coronado and Panama have become my home, something I hadn’t anticipated.

Life in Panama has consistently warm weather, rain or shine. The sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. On numerous occasions the rainy season has provided an opportunity to observe a rainbow. However, the consistency of weather skews the calendar. All my life, the seasons assisted in determining the calendar. For example, when the temperature drops and the leaves turn and fall from the trees, we celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. In Panama it feels like perpetual summer, so I often forget what month we are in –don’t even ask me the date!

Perhaps it is the many visitors (12 to date) that have come to see me and experience my paradise in Panama. Some of my favorite things to do with them include white water rafting and zip-lining in Boquete. In Coronado, horseback riding on the beach is a lot of fun. El Valle has the craft and vegetable market and hot springs to explore. Whale watching on Isla Contadora is exciting. I have been to the Panama Canal five times and am never bored. It is amusing to see it through the eyes of my visitors who are experiencing this engineering marvel for the first time. The canal will observe a 100-year anniversary in 2014. I am looking forward to that celebration!

Another reason time appears to go so fast may be that I am never bored. Living in Panama I have found you can

be as busy or sedentary as you want. There is always so much to do: beach volleyball, happy hours, trips to the city, sight-seeing, and more, that I have to force myself to take downtime. My friends and I are having so much fun experiencing life that we need to schedule time to chill out!

One thing most people agree upon is that life is short and you should enjoy it. Given my experience over the past six months, that is true!

In my opinion, Living in Paradise should be a requirement sometime in your life – why not now? I will be happy to add you to my visitor list!