Alert: Readers may have noticed my column has been missing for the last couple of weeks. That’s because I have been vacationing in Costa Rica.

We had a 15th birthday party for Felipe and Tizi, our nephew and niece who live in Colorado but have Costa Rican parents and wanted to celebrate that tradition in Costa Rica. The party went very well. Kudos to the moms, Natalia and Tatiana, for organizing such a wonderful event. Plus, overall it was great to see my wife’s family and old friends.

They say it’s important to get comfortably out of your comfort zone, and Costa Rica certainly fits that bill for me. I lived there for two years, so I am familiar with the land and the people. (Although my Spanish is still at the 3-year-old level, I understand way more than I can talk.) I am still certainly a bit out of my comfort zone.

For one thing, my brain must process a LOT of Spanish. My brain is well-suited for writing and talking in........

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