August 10th 2009
This is it. I'm less than 20 hours away from America. I will be putting up more pictures with better internet at home, but I wanted to write my final reflection while still in Asia, in this dream-reality world.
Interestingly, there is a Buddhist tradition when at a temple involving the shaking of sticks in a cylinder until one falls out. Every stick is labeled with a number or letter that corresponds to a fortune. I first tried this about 2 weeks into my trip on an early visit to a temple in Phitsanulok. I was surprised to get the number 13, my lucky number and birthday.
The fortune is mostly positive and I’m not sure if the Thai is translated accurately, but this is what is says:
13
Just like an orchard tree not yet yielding fruits, awaiting for rainfall. Do not make a hasty decision to move away from the place. Wait and see. Some development underway. No child forthcoming. Meeting companionable persons and relatives. Good lucks approaching. Love not being satisfied in the near future.
So except for the love not being satisfied part, this is a pretty positive fortune. I was slightly creeped out to get the same fortune the second time I did the stick shake, especially since it was symbolically my last day in Thailand.
I like the line “wait and see”. The greatest lesson I learned in Thailand was to go with the flow. Thai time is loose. I never knew how long things would take or when we were leaving, but I learned to stop obeying the watch and start just living. “Wait and see” summarizes the new outlook I am now embracing. Through a lot of personal reflection and spiritual journey-ing, I have more faith and trust in this life. Some things are out of my control and I simply have to “be” and “wait and see”. This is a respite from my usual “go-get-um” attitude. It’s refreshing to let be and live.
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