Saturday, October 24, 2020

Seeking Answers, Finding Questions

This year for my birthday I fully intend to live the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. In other words, I will probably come out the other side of this year understanding far less than I do now. And with a lot more questions. Perhaps that was Douglas Adams's point all along. 

And how will I go about seeking to understand less and finding more questions? By digging into life more. 

Since my last update, I have started playing ukulele again (ask me to play you a wildly out of rhythm rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah), driven to remote areas to eavesdrop on conversations in languages I don't understand (laughter and emotion never lie), and started attending Mooji Satsang on the veranda of Grace's beach front bungalow (watching Mooji's face flap in the wind on the projector sheet never gets old, plus the message always relevant to my life in eerily specific ways). 

Each week after Mooji Satsang, I walk home along a dark stretch of beach where lightning strikes out over the Gulf and the warm air sticks to my skin. The season is changing. 

Monsoon has finally hit the Gulf islands full throttle, and everyone is fleeing. Sideways rain, high tides, and crashing waves move in. Pleasant sunny days give way to overcast sky and muggy, humid air. I've just finished the 4th draft of my novel and sent it off to an array of beta readers. It's time for an adventure. And as we all know, adventures are the best ways to seek answers and find questions. 

Next week, I head back to Chiang Mai--my first venture off island since January. All those traffic lights and stop signs and people and bookshops. Imagine the possibilities. Meetups and road trips and book buying are on the horizon. I hope I don't short circuit. 

What sort of adventures should I dig into this year? What sort of answers should I seek to discover even better questions? 

Until next time friends. Stay mostly harmless. 

2 comments:

  1. Have you been experiencing "island fever" since you've been stationary since Jan?
    Are you fan a of noodles? :) Chiang Mai-style noodles are unique to that region. Enjoy!
    If you take a jungle trek atop an elephant , can you find out why there are speed limit signs posted in the jungle?
    "Elephants No Speeding In Jungle" ... I forgot o ask the guides if the elephants read English.

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  2. Hey Paul!

    As much as I've been loving island life these past 9 months, I'm glad to be somewhere different for a bit. I always forget how much I love Chiang Mai until I'm back here. And yes, I love Khao Soi! You can't find it in the south or on the islands, only in the north. One of the many things I look forward to when I'm back here.

    Ha! I've no idea about speed limit signs in the jungle. Most likely for the motorbikes, not the elephants 😜

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