Land of Extremes

Thailand is indeed the land of extremes. The place where you can describe every sensory experience as the best/worst thing that has ever happened to you in your life. For instance, last night I stayed in the grungiest "resort" I've ever been to. Right now, I'm in the most silent of airports--it is truly dead here. Kinda nice, actually, given the chaos that comes with constantly travelling from place to place. Yesterday marked the first official day of monsoon season. On one of the many song taew rides en route back to Pattaya yesterday afternoon, the canals flooded, and the streets became flooded as a consequence. Water penetrated my backpack and found the soft, papery flesh of my book of Hafiz poetry--the book is worn in the truest sense now. It bears the mark of experience. 

We are all products of our experiences. We hold onto the sensory memories dearly, clearly remembering how something physically felt, smelt, tasted, sounded and appeared through our tainted daily scope. In a land of extremes, I ride the waves, feeling everything. It's up and down almost every day. On the up and up when I'm experiencing beautiful scenery and feeling totally at home in nature. On the way down when I feel attached to the ideas of comfort, home, family, Portland, past relationships, romance. Getting caught up in the extremes is a risky undertaking that we all participate in willingly. It's fun. It makes us feel alive. It makes us feel something, that's for sure. The key to surviving all of it is to have the opportunity to discern between your sensory experience and your actual essence--who you really are: unbridled, joyful, limitless, infinite, pure Spirit. Sounds like a lofty idea, but when given the alternative of the constant,exhausting rollercoaster ride that is the human experience, it's such a comfort to know that I am so much more than my body, my mind, and my sensory experience in this world. This is what keeps me going. This is what keeps me alive. This. Is. It.