Pura Vida and the Art of Forgiveness

They say forgiveness sets you free. Most of us nod politely at the idea while secretly thinking, “Yeah, sure, but if you knew what so-and-so did to me, you’d be handing me the chainsaw, not a sermon.”

The truth is, holding a grudge feels a bit like feeding a raccoon at your campsite. At first, you feel powerful. “Yes, I control this wild beast with stale Doritos.” But before long, the raccoon has multiplied, the Doritos are gone, and you are left wide awake at 3 a.m., listening to tiny claws tearing through your garbage bag of dignity. Grudges are like that. You think you’re in charge until you realize the critter owns you.

Costa Rica, my new beloved home, has a way of teaching these lessons whether you want them or not. Take driving here, for example. Someone cuts you off, and your Canadian instincts tell you to honk, glare, and possibly draft a letter to the editor. But here, people just shrug, mumble “Pura Vida,” and keep going. If they held grudges on the road, traffic would grind to a halt somewhere near Alajuela and the whole country would miss out on their afternoon coffee. Forgiveness, it turns out, keeps things moving smoother than a bus driver navigating hairpin turns at top speed.

Grudges are heavy baggage, and not the kind that earns you airline points. Imagine dragging two oversized Samsonites filled with volcanic rocks through the cobblestone streets of a little Costa Rican town. Each step is exhausting, sweaty, and unnecessary. Then imagine someone tapping you on the shoulder and whispering, “You know those bags aren’t even yours?” That is what forgiveness feels like. You let go of something you never should have been carrying in the first place.

But here’s the sneaky part. We often think forgiveness is about letting the other person off the hook. In reality, it is more like cutting ourselves loose from a tangled fishing net. The fish doesn’t really care what you decide; it swims away either way. Forgiveness is not a favour to the other person. It is the only way to keep your boat from sinking under the weight of resentment.

At Central Park the other day, I overheard, in the little Spanish that I understand, an old Tico farmer say that carrying a grudge is like refusing to mow your lawn out of spite for your neighbour. “Las serpientes no le muerden a él, te muerden a ti” (the snakes don’t bite him, they bite you). That line stuck with me more than most motivational posters ever could.

And here is where it gets real. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is not about pretending the wound never happened. It is about deciding the wound will not own you anymore. You stop scratching at it, you let it heal, and you move forward. Otherwise, you spend your life limping in circles, showing everyone your scar like it’s a prized possession.

So yes, forgiveness sets you free. Not free in the “cheap souvenir keychain” way, but in the kind of freedom where your soul feels lighter, like you traded volcanic rocks for a hammock. And the punchline? The very moment you forgive, you stop waiting for an apology that might never come. You realize the door was never locked, and you walk out into the sunlight.

Pura Vida.