Let's Get Lost - Beck and Bat for Lashes

“I know a planet where there is a certain red-faced gentleman. He has never
smelled a flower. He has never looked at a star. He has never loved any one.
He has never done anything in his life but add up figures. And all day he says
over and over, just like you: ’I am busy with matters of consequence!’ And that
makes him swell up with pride. But he is not a man– he is a mushroom!” (The Little Prince)

Once again, I can’t sleep. I’m comforted by the humming white noise of the oscillating fans and the pitter-patter of steady rain on the tin roofs, but my mind won’t slow down enough to let the rest of me relax.

So, what does one do when they can’t sleep? Read “The Little Prince”, look up my horoscope (this is not a usual occurance!), Skype with loved ones scattered around the globe, write a blog post, edit training evaluations, look through old pictures and letters and reflect on the day.


Reflection worthy, brought to you by Fr Joe:

“Did you hear the blasts that went off last night? It sounds like fireworks, but tonight they went on for five or six minutes. Do you know why they do this? To scare bad spirits off the boats when they leave the port. Something bad must have happened on one of the ships, someone must have fallen or died, because they had to scare off a lot of bad spirits last night.”

He continued by reminding me, this is the spirit of Bangkok and the culture of Thailand.

“This is what must be in your writing. This is what makes rich writing.”

I thought back to one of the quotes, stenciled on the wall at the cultural center:

“The first draft of anything is shit.” – Ernest Hemmingway

My weakness is focus, but I’m going to allow myself to write shit, just so long as I write. Write, read, edit, rework, rinse and repeat. Maybe one of these days I will have something in here I can really use.

I want to play with the language; I want opulent writing and bottomless words, majestic tales and striking emotions. And it’s all here, it’s in the streets, it’s out my window, it’s steaming up from the sidewalks and it’s in the myriad of faces. Now it’s just a matter of getting it on paper and doing it justice.

Focusing and listening. Reading and writing. Ingesting and digesting. Giving myself time to process. And finally, GOING FOR A RUN!

Thanks again to all the amazing ladies in my life, who help keep my feet on the ground and facilitate my insomnia.

my blood and my heart. ((leanne and mom in roma))

l o v e y o u

ABA