the meaning of 'pura vida'

Pura vida is the unofficial motto of Costa Rica. The phrase literally means "pure life". You hear it all the time. You see it all the time, on everything from t-shirts to artwork to bodies to just about every tourist item you could think of.  It's said to have originated from Mexico through movies in the 50's. The poster below is from a recent Spanish movie named after the motto.

I noticed several gringos walking around with "pura vida" tattooed on their body. It's about as original as getting barbed wire around your bicep. One guy had it written in big block letters going down his whole arm. I bet he'll regret that once he gets back home.

Pura vida can be used to express many things. The popular Costa Rican handshake among young men is a hand slap in which you quickly pull back to do a fist bump.
You can then say pura vida for hello or goodbye. It's pronounced poo-rah vee-dah. Not "pure-ah".

Other meanings:
I'll worry about it later. ( Oh well now I'm totally broke, pura vida!)
Goodbye. (See you later, pura vida!)
Who cares? Pura vida!
Chill out....pura vida.
That was a great wave, pura vida!
This is great! Pura vida!
Don't worry about it.....(an example: I told my taxi driver sorry for having to wait so long and he responded "be quiet, pura vida")
Relax...pura vida. (this one used by a yoga teacher)
This ganja is amazing! (Pura vida!)
I'm late but time doesn't matter here. Pura vida!
No thanks, I don't want anything. Pura vida.

What is my definition of pura vida? I take it to mean accept life as it is and enjoy it, no matter what you have or don't have or how much money you make.
 Others think it reflects the Costa Rican society's habit of taking forever to do something or not worrying about important things like finances and business. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. We stress about small things way to much in our fast paced money and material obsessed society. After I got back I experienced brief culture shock getting reacquainted with the drama and stress we love to put ourselves through as Americans.

Here's a video of a popular local music artist filmed on the beach literally outside my apartment in Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean coast in Costa Rica, near Panama. It has a very distinct reggae and Rastafari culture.