Nice post Ron, I know writing can be difficult especially if staring at that blank screen. Costa Rica remains one of my favorite places in the entire world and I had my eye on it for a long time to retire there. I've only just recently changed my mind to other regions but it still remains a very sacred place.
As far as utilizing steemit, you don't always have to write to have a trickle income. You can be very engaged in the comment section and liking and the re-steeming section and still make a nice little income. I try to make a post every day but I usually don't succeed. But I make sure to at least like or comment every day multiple times a day.