Have you ever seen a certain thing and immediately thought of something else? I’m sure you have. Our brains make connections and associate one thing with others from our memories, knowledge, and experiences. Sometimes the sudden thought makes sense to us — I see a cake for sale and remember that my mom’s birthday is coming up. Sometimes the association is absurd and I wonder […]
Thanks, No Thanks Google Maps
I use Google Maps frequently. Maybe every day. But here in Thailand—is it this way in America?—I have to take Google Maps with a grain of salt. What looks like a road on Google might not be a road in real life. A restaurant or shop might be on the other side of the street, or a block down, or across town. Once on a […]
Growing
It was 78 degrees when I started running at 7:30am, and when I finished 1 hour, 51 minutes and 42 seconds later, it was at least 86 degrees and climbing quickly, and of course it felt hotter than that after being in the bright sun for so long. I was drenched, if you hadn’t guessed (and I’m sure you wanted to know), but after running […]
Making Room
Happy 2012! I’m looking forward to a great year – lots of exciting things planned, and lots of unknowns, but God is greater than both, and He is with me! This Christmas I was blessed by friends and family with some great presents. I realized right away though that I needed to do some rearranging and cleaning out of my closet and pantry to make […]
Love born in sorrow
This morning I read an excerpt from Thomas Merton’s journal, dated March 18, 1950. I am compelled to share it, for it touched my heart and mind and I believe that many of us can relate to Merton’s words. “My soul is trying to awaken and discover again the beauty of penance. I am ashamed of having so many confessions of my faults in the […]
Right Message, Wrong Delivery
I’m sitting on the second floor of Starbucks in the heart of Chiang Mai, looking out over a public square and the most historic gate of the old city wall. This part of town is overwhelmed by the tourist industry–within a half-mile radius there are dozens of tour agencies and cheap hotels, and bars to suit the night crowd. A few Thai guys shove English-language […]
Swim Swam Swum
I have been going to Bangkok at least once a month since March of this year. Sometimes it’s for a day (that’s a long day!) and sometimes it’s for a full week, and sometimes it’s in between. Since I’m in the Big City that often, I checked out a pool at a public park and decided to become a member. It’s close enough to my […]
A few thoughts from the last couple days
– I have the superpower of being invisible. Unfortunately, it only happens when I’m on my bicycle. – Perspective is everything: On the day that you are running late, need to be somewhere fast, or have something urgent to get done, there will be more bad drivers, longer and more red lights, and more people pulling out in front of you. – Italy is a […]
Bronchitis
I had never had bronchitis before. After 12 days of being sick with no relief, I gave in and went to the doctor (on a top 10 list of places I do not like to be). He listened to my sickly saga, looked in my throat, listened to my breathing via stethoscope, and immediately gave the prognosis: bronchitis. The result: a flu vaccine (to ward […]
A State of Not-Knowing
My Thai language skills are far from fluent, and although many people compliment me on speaking “so clearly”, the breadth and depth of my vocabulary leaves much to be desired. This means that I am often suspended in a state of not-knowing. Example: (Any dialogue in Thai will be in italics) Right now I have a sore throat and stuffy nose, and my voice is […]