So, someone mentioned ‘Playa Negra’ the other day. Took me back. Not to the place itself, mind you. Never actually set foot on that black sand down in Costa Rica.
But I sure tried. Had this whole big idea years ago. Work was grinding me down, felt like I was running on fumes. Needed a serious break, a total disconnect. Saw pictures of Playa Negra, looked wild, remote. Perfect, I thought.
The Big Plan
I started putting money aside, little by little. Scrimped and saved. Researched flights like crazy, trying to find the cheapest possible way. Looked at little cabanas nearby, nothing fancy. Marked the dates on the calendar. Told myself this was it, the escape hatch.
- Saved cash for months.
- Spent hours comparing flight options.
- Picked out a basic place to stay.
- Booked the time off work.
Felt good having that goal, something to look forward to.
Then Reality Hit
Life, right? Just when you think you’ve got things mapped out. Work situation changed overnight. Project got cancelled, team got shuffled. Suddenly, my position felt shaky. Real shaky. That ‘escape fund’ I was so proud of? Overnight, it turned into the ‘better hold onto this just in case’ fund.
Had to scrap the whole Playa Negra plan. That sucked. Really sucked. Wasn’t just missing a vacation. Felt like admitting defeat somehow.
The Unwinding Process
Started the process of cancelling everything. That was a job in itself.
- Called the airline. Sat on hold forever. Argued about refund policies. Got some credit, lost some money.
- Emailed the place I was gonna stay. More back and forth. More lost deposits.
- Mentally readjusted. Tried to shake off the disappointment. Harder than it sounds.
It wasn’t just clicking ‘cancel’. It was unwinding this whole future I’d built up in my head. Felt like I was just treading water for a while after that, trying to figure out the next step work-wise and just… generally.
What Came After
Never did reschedule that trip. The job situation eventually stabilized, but things shifted. Priorities changed. Ended up focusing on stuff closer to home, more practical things.
It’s funny. I spent all that time planning this specific escape, and when it fell through, I was forced into a different kind of reset. Dealt with uncertainty, learned to roll with the punches a bit better. Maybe that was the real takeaway. Still, wouldn’t mind seeing that black sand for real someday. Just maybe without pinning all my hopes on it this time.
