soaking.

I think I’m soaking again... ;)

I get in a bit of a phase before I leave or go anywhere. I intentionally open up all my senses and... soak. So much of the time I’m focused and business-oriented, unconsciously blocking my senses out unless I need them to accomplish my goal. When I am preparing myself to leave somewhere though... I want to remember the smell, the feel, the sounds, my mood, the atmosphere. I can take myself back to a canoe trip on the Spanish river, swimming down the rapids in the sunset. I can re-experience the last night of our time alone on the Buffalo River in Arkansas, before I and the Summit students joined the staff and interns again. I can feel the wet mud soaking through my clothes on my last mountain bike race, and the taste of coronation chicken atop chalk cliffs on my last day with my mentor in England. I can smell the scent of wet leaves as I walked along our country road for the last time before our house would be sold while I am away. And now... I’m soaking. I feel like I have trained myself to soak continuously. My friend asked me why I haven’t written a blog recently... I think it’s because I’ve been soaking? Soaking up the smells, the laughter of friends, the calls of children, the facial expressions of my monks, the cloudy stars, the crickets, the smell of incense. My heart groans.

I’m leaving Mae Sai in three weeks... mmmmm and I’m soaking it all up : )

Mango season has arrived in all it's glory.



Hanging bananas on our window to ripen. Did you know if you hang bananas they don't go black? genius.