On this trip I set out to accomplish one thing: to prove, or disprove, whether or not I could be productive in such beautiful (and warm) lands such as Costa Rica and Panama. Last year, I went to Costa Rica with a similar intent, but failed by a large degree: I arrived, and immediately was drawn to the beauty and spent more time surfing and being outdoors, than on my computer working
Why do I want to prove this? Well, I don’t prefer the cold (to say it kindly)… but a large majority of people don’t, either. I think, in a deeper sense, I’ve come to realize: I love being in nature. Humans were born in nature, not concrete jungles, and I think my evolutionary bells are singing: “Neil, be in your natural habitat!” And, unfortunately, Nebraska’s extreme hots, and frigid colds, disallow this on many days 
And being 18 days into the trip I can say: it looks optimistic!
I mindfully worked while in Panama a normal work week and can report the following:
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QUANTITATIVE: I accomplished either the same amount of work that I would have accomplished back home, and perhaps slightly even more
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QUALITATIVE: Maybe more importantly: I felt better, and more productive because I was working in “my” environment
The experiment still persists until February 6th, where I’ll retro once again, but I’m quite satisfied with the current results 
. The biggest caveat for me to explore in my journaling: does seeking these external sources for happiness lead me into a hedonic lifestyle?
Whew… plenty to process there for another day, but for now, off I go for a mid-day surf before logging back on later! 
