"We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others." - La Rochefoucauld (French philosoher)

Sorry to have left you all stranded for the weekend, but what a busy 48 hours! I have been writing in my new journal non-stop and take it everywhere with me ((stay creative!)) and have pages and pages of thoughts, observations, new Thai words and notes from a few books I'm reading. I feel smarter, healthier and stronger here, so long as I stay away from the Thai peanuts!

The other night I sat with Ben for awhile; there was a cool breeze on the rooftop terrace of Mercy 2. It felt nice to have someone to talk to, an "outsider" of sorts as well, or "falang" as the kids call us, meaning "foreigner". I felt calmer than I have in a long time, sitting up high with panoramic views of our neighborhood, sky high billboards towering over the tin roofs below. In the silence, while Ben was chasing around the boys that hadn't gone to bed, I thought about Bangkok. Father Joe says, in "The Gospel of Father Joe," by Greg Barrett, that "we all have now, we all have the moment that we're in" (p.263). I think as Americans it is hard to hold on to the moment. I always feel like I'm looking ahead, but rarely do I sit and embrace the moment itself. Thai buddhist's preach "jai yen", translated as "a cool heart"- which means you allow yourself to be open and accepting. I'm working on it. I feel oddly at peace in this oh-so-foreign land.

Yesterday I found myself, after an impromptu trip to Tae Kwon Do class with some of the Mercy kids, sitting in the park finally finishing "The Gospel of Father Joe". It's beautifully written and incredibly inspiring and if you want a better idea of what goes on here I highly recommend picking it up. Although, it's an entirely different read once you're here. I now know these kids in the book, I spent the afternoon watching them playfully climb all over each other in their lessons. These were children that had escaped being sold to brothels for the exchange of two cases of whiskey, and others who had literally been forcely taken from them. Now they are here, laughing up a storm, running around with my camera taking pictures of themselves in the wall length mirrors lining the Tae Kwon Do studio.

As I opened the book, for the first time since my flight to Bangkok, a little piece of paper fell out. It was my horoscope from The Bangkok Post, dated June 15th, the day I landed in Thailand. It read:

"Today's total lunar eclipse may remind you that it takes strength and courage to listen to inner wisdom and follow ideals."

I don't think it could have been more spot on.


Some of the "karate kids":

I've been reading up on philosophy again ((I know, read: NERD)) but I will leave you with this one last quote:

"Don't seek for things to happen as you wish, but wish for things to happen as they do, and you will get on well." - Epictetus

Lumpini paradise.

ABA