Compassion

Hi,

The forecasters missed the mark again today.  The only rain we got was a brief cloudburst in the late morning.  It was just another hot, cloudy day in Chiang Rai.  

“Been away so long I hardly knew the place.  Gee it’s good to be back home.  Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case, honey disconnect the phone.  I’m __ __ __ __ __ __ __, you don’t know how lucky you are boy.  __ __ __ __ __ __ __.”  Hint:  I’m sure this was a big hit with the comrades.

This morning, after a trip to Big C, we went to The Mantrini Hotel for a coffee visit with a friend we met through Art Bridge.  She and her husband are from Holland, and they come to Thailand often.  The last time they were in town she came to the house and she and Lisa discussed art.  Today we talked about the charm of Chiang Rai and the indescribable feeling one gets just being here.  Blue has been to Holland many times, and they compared notes about certain cities.  We had a wonderful time.

Today’s photo was taken next to the Healthy Market.  I have seen this man for many years, moving about town on the frame of a Samlor.  There is a working Samlor in the background.  You will notice that the frame has no tires on the rims.  This guy just ‘walks’ his trike around town.  I’m not sure if he can actually walk or not, but he sure gets about.  An example of determination, humility, and innovation.

This afternoon we returned to Immigration to retrieve our passports.  They had to keep them for final approval of our visas.  Our ‘friend’ at the counter was joking with us and having a lot of fun while he did his paperwork.  One of the other officers asked about Blue, and whether he needed to renew his.  It was such a contrast to the early days when we dreaded going to the Immigration office in Mae Sai.  It was very impersonal, almost cold.  When we left, the officer ‘wai'd us first, which normally never happens.

One of the problems with the irregular rain is the burning that happens.  When it doesn’t look like rain, people burn their trash while things are dry.  There are many corn fields that burn the waste after the harvest and that just adds to the problem.  Fortunately, the farmers around us are plowing most of the leftovers into the ground and replanting.  We’ve had a few fires, but they weren’t the massive field burnings.  More rain would be nice so they can’t burn anything.  Oh well, most of the time it’s fresh breezes and we like that.

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

             Peace,

                       Danny

“If you want others to be happy,

practice compassion.  If you want to be happy,

practice compassion.”

~The Dalai Lama