In March of 2007, I went on a trip to Costa Rica with my significant other and another couple. I had been living in Pittsburgh for a little over a year, and was still working on getting my divorce finalized.

Feel my fierceness.

It was a great trip. We spent our days out at a deserted beach and our nights getting tasty food in Jaco and other small towns along the coast. We visited Manuel Antonio National Park, we fed monkeys (and avoided getting urinated on by monkeys, which is key), went ziplining, and generally had a blast. I was in a bathing suit and a flowing skirt most of the time, and that’s how I’d like to live out the rest of my days.

Rocking the bikini and shell necklace look

This trip marked a very happy time in my life. Somewhat miraculously, when I arrived back in Pittsburgh, paperwork had arrived, finalizing my divorce. It felt like a blessed time all around.

And yes, I could revise history using my expert 20-20 hindsight and tell myself that there were echoes of future heartbreaks even there, on a relaxing vacation in a beautiful place. I could tell you that I knew deep inside that, just a year later, I would be leaving that relationship and embarking on one of the biggest transitions of my life.

But that would be a lie. I was truly happy in March 2007. The world was my oyster.

It is ok to be blissfully happy. Every moment isn’t full of foreshadowing.

When were you blissfully happy? Is it right now?