First hint of light. Still. Dry, comfortably
cool.
Mother-in-law sits, waiting for monk.
Waning gibbous Moon, just past Full, going down in West.
Busy birds make a racket everywhere.
Physically, I explore all the stiff and sore spots in this
old aching body.
Mentally, I float.
-Zenwind.
.
I am still accompanying Mother-in-law
out to give alms to the monks at dawn. She
had an episode recently of dizziness when standing up to put food into a monk's
begging bowl, falling back into her chair.
So, I've been taking her out in a wheelchair to the corner.
The same monk has been coming by
every morning, but last weekend a second monk came with him. When they chanted their sutta together in
Pali, they did it in a beautifully complex baritone harmony. It was wonderful to hear.
We have just had a few days of the
coldest weather so far this winter.
Temps at night got down to 65*F – as cold as it gets where we live – and
daytime highs only in the 70s. The wind
from the North was chilly in the morning, making us put on more clothing than
normal (e.g., long pants and an extra shirt).
The dewpoints are as low and dry as they ever are, and I rarely sweat. Sweet comfort! But we will soon get normal highs in the 90s
along with increasing humidity heading into the Hot Season by March.
We do have uncommonly clear skies,
and my new routine of getting up before dawn makes me appreciate this season
even more. I have been showing Tuk the
Moon's phases in the mornings and evenings, as it cycles through the month. And, we are watching Venus, the present
Morning Star, slowly shift position in the East, observing it every morning at
the exact same time from the same spot.
The long New Year's weekend starts
tomorrow, so our neighborhood will be deserted and quiet for a while.
-Zenwind.
.
I re-injured my lower back
again. Three weeks ago, I was careless
when sorting books and cleaning, bending and lifting. I should have worn my lumbar-sacrum elastic back
brace while doing it, but I had been feeling so fit for so long that I thought
I was invincible. My ruptured lumbar
disc pinches the sciatic nerve, and the pain in my hips and legs makes it almost
impossible to walk. Bummer!
I now have a newer back brace,
longer, a better fit. It helps during
this period of healing, preventing further injury. I wear it when active during the day. I have been limited to very short walks
(hobbles) to local grocery stores, and I take taxis to and from the train
station rather than walking the mile distance.
I need to slowly build up my back muscles again.
I had not been smoking any THC cannabis
since the injury, since I didn't think exercising would be a good idea while
initially healing. Until a few days ago,
when I took a two-toke micro-dose of C. sativa, and, without wearing my back
brace, I did some carefully mindful Tai Chi.
It made me so incredibly aware of my body, my muscles, joints, sore
spots, etc., and I very gently worked out a few kinks and stretched and
explored my flexibility. I felt much
better for the rest of the day.
But my back is still fragile, and I
must not be careless and overdo activities until I'm healed and slowly build up
muscle again.
-Zenwind.
.
With the Rainy Season ended and a cooler, less humid feel to
the air, mornings are now very refreshing.
And, I have been starting a new routine of getting up and out before
dawn.
Tuk's mom has started to go out early again to give food
alms to the passing monks, and I escort her out to the corner and watch that
she doesn't fall down or wander off. Her
Alzheimer's condition and general old-age have made her unpredictable and frail.
There are a couple of chairs on the corner where a food
vendor has a cart, and Mother sits there.
On weekday mornings, the corner is busy with folks going to work at the
electric company headquarters next door.
On weekends and holidays, it is deserted, with no food vendors,
motorcycle-taxi drivers, or pedestrians.
But the monks always come by every day.
Barefoot, with orange robes and begging bowls, they reach
every neighborhood. The Theravada/Hinayana
school of Buddhism upholds the tradition laid down by Gautama himself: monks must be "homeless" (i.e.,
owning nothing; living communally at a temple) and they rely on the lay
community for all food and support. The
lay community members get, in return, a blessing chanted in Pali by the monk,
as well as having "made merit" (i.e., added to their lifetime record
of good deeds so that they may get a good rebirth, aka, better karma).
After leading Mother out to her chair, I usually retreat back
to our courtyard where I can be out of sight but still keep an eye on her. (I use this time to loosen up with Tai Chi
and calisthenics.) When the monk is
finished and leaves, I go out and escort her back to the house.
The Loy Krathong festival was on this last Monday's Full Moon, although food vendors and music have been active in the evenings for the last week on the main street nearby. I didn't mingle with the festive crowds as in other years; I just went out to see the Moon in our now-clear skies.
-Zenwind.
.
There was a fatal shooting at the
Siam Paragon shopping mall – one of the finest department stores in the city –
late this afternoon. I was at home, but
I easily could have been there, since I often shop there and visit their cinema
plex; also, I usually pass through that mall once a week enroute to elsewhere,
as it is a train hub.
One of my favorite Rock bands is
playing within walking distance from there tonight, and I almost went into the
city to hear them.
It is one shopping center that I
know very well, and it has become extremely popular and crowded with the recent
surge in tourism.
The news is still coming in. A 14-year-old Thai kid was arrested – and the
asshole had an American flag on his hat.
Bangkok is freaking out, and I think there will be a new air of fear after
this.
-Zenwind.
.
That’s the way I’ve always loved
seeing it, a phase of the Moon riding medium-high on the horizon, occasionally
peeking through the branches and trunks of trees as I stride on.
It was a First Quarter the other
night, and after the rain stopped, I donned flip-flops and ventured out onto
the wet evening sidewalks. It was a
grocery expedition to neighborhood stores further down the road, and the fresh
and relatively cooler air was rejuvenating.
It had been cloudy, but on my way home I was surprised by
the Moon peeping at me from behind trees on the other side of the street. A little satori in the quiet night.
-Zenwind.
.
I have not been writing much, but I
have been exercising faithfully, and that makes me feel incredibly good. There is a spring in my step, and I feel like
a healthy animal, prowling through the jungle.
Although I have the increasing pains and weaknesses of aging, I still
feel young at heart. I think that I will
never grow up.
And, I have been reading
obsessively – mostly biographies, histories, philosophy, and world geographical
news. So much to learn; so little
time!
And, I’ve been catching as many
movies as I can. Since DVDs are no
longer an easily obtained source of seeing films that I missed in theater, I
have to see them in their original showings here. Oppenheimer is still in the theaters,
and I am amazed at the range of its script, of its incredible cast, and its overall great
production.
In the last month, theaters here
re-played the 20-year-old trilogy of The Lord of the Rings, and it was
wonderful to see it on the big screen again.
The audiences were small, but I noticed some of the same people showing
up to see each of the three films – die-hard Tolkien fans!
Our Rainy Season continues, but it
is drier than other years, raising fears of drought for farmers, as the reservoirs
are low. Yesterday, I did a long march
in a light rain, only needing an umbrella when in exceptionally windy
spots. It was a delightfully cooler
march than normal, since there was no brutal sun on me.
Tomorrow is Asalha Puja, “Dharma
Day”, which commemorates Buddha’s First Discourse, outlining his fundamental therapeutic
advice: the fact of Dukkha [look it up];
Letting Go of our negative reactions to this reality; Experiencing the Cessation (aka, Nirvana) of these disturbing reactions; and a Path of ethical behavior to integrate
these enlightened insights into our lives.
-Zenwind.
.
I vowed to outrun the rain today,
so I started my walk much earlier than usual after reading the weather report’s
timing of today’s rain. I still carried
a big umbrella. I did my seven-k
marching loop (climbing only six pedestrian flyovers en route, out of a
possible 12 or so). The pavements were
dry, and the sidewalks were quite empty for a Friday.
Last Monday, I had the same goal,
but the rain outran me. It caught me
just after I competed the halfway mark on my loop, and it came down hard and
windy. My Merrell pack has a good rain
cover, but the umbrella I packed was the smallest and most compact that I have,
and it did a poor job of defending from the heavy blowing rain. I arrived home a bit wet. So, it will be only serious umbrellas from
now on.
Today is Cannabis Day in Thailand,
the one-year anniversary of the de-listing of cannabis as an illegal drug. Good grass with high THC is available
everywhere, and it sure has turbo-charged my exercise habits in this last year,
making me feel healthier than in many years.
Two tokes, followed by intense Tai Chi, range-of-motion calisthenics and
careful stretching, and I hit the pavement. Great workout. There was no direct sunlight because of the clouds, so it was a much
cooler walk than any in recent months.
Blessed Coolness. Zen Delight.
-Zenwind.
.
The Moon – the Thais call it “Jaan” – is
high in the West North West, with Venus right below it going down to the
horizon. Beautiful. Just one night shy of a First Quarter.
This waxing moon will become, in a week, the Full Moon of Vesak,
the Buddhist holiday marking the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death.
I relished tonight’s clear sky,
knowing that rain will be coming very soon.
Clouds are gathering now. I do
miss the clear night skies of Warren County.
-Zenwind.
.
Footwear has always been a primary
concern of mine. “Life is a Boot Camp” –
that’s a personal motto. I am a lifelong
walker, hiker, rambler, marcher and climber.
If my footwear lets me down, I can’t go much of anywhere. And if I can’t ramble on, there’s not much
adventure to life.
For over the last couple of years, I’ve
been desperately trying to find decent Sport Sandals here in Thailand. Sport sandals are, first of all, cool in this
hellish heat, but they also give me excellent foot support and traction,
allowing me to step out and move.
I have usually bought at least one
pair of good sandals every year to replace the ones I wear out. I wear them out fast due to both wet flooded
sidewalks during the rainy monsoons and then lots of time in sunlight. For many, many recent years, I’ve bought the
same fine North Face sandal model that was available in my size 11-wide. But NF has discontinued this model, and the
size 11 models they have now are too damn narrow and tight, and they blister my
feet. Their new NF size 12 are still too
narrow and tight. (I have, in the last
couple of years, accumulated a lot of sandals from various companies that turn
out to be too painful to wear.)
But I have finally found one great
sport sandal: the Fat Tire model, size 12,
from Under Armour, a company specializing in gear for military and police. (I just bought a second pair in size 12, to
make sure I have a spare.) They are cushy,
supportive and grippy – what a ride!
I can now stride forth again,
briskly and comfortably.
-Zenwind.
.
We have had a lot of fine weather with
very clear skies in the last couple of our winter months, and, thus, I have
been out and about quite a bit. Seeing
the Moon again, as she goes through her phases, is always a lifelong delight
for me.
A few nights after the last New
Moon, I decided to trek to The Rock Pub to hear my favorite band, Mundee. At about 7:30 in the evening, I took a few
tokes of herb at home and then walked the mile to the nearest mass transit
station. I noticed the fine waxing Crescent
Moon in the west as I hit the street, and while waiting on a train platform, I
noticed it again. Sharp and beautiful! I looked around, but no one else was seeing it
– they were all playing with their phones.
(Talk about different priorities!)
The following Full Moon was the
Buddhist holiday of Makha Puja, a major national observance. Tuk went to a temple with friends, and I took
a long morning march in the neighborhood on empty sidewalks.
I like to stop and gaze when crossing
the many small khlongs (canals) that flow under the roads and sidewalks on our
side of the river. They are relics of the
past, when they were the main means of travel when Bangkok was known as “the
Venice of the East.” (Most khlongs on
the eastern, Bangkok side, of the Chao Phraya River are filled in by
development these days, but on our western, Thonburi side, many of them are
still here.)
Our summer has officially
started. The humidity is rising, and the
next few months will be sweltering. Sweat
City.
-Zenwind.
.
I bought a new pack. I am a life-long collector of backpacks, from
huge-load mountaineering expedition packs to more compact-load alpinist
climbing packs to daypacks and fanny packs.
I love packs. They have always
served me well, carrying essentials as I trek the path. Here in the Tropics, it is more daypacks for
me, and I also utilize cargo pants and shirts (with many pockets) to have
important gear close at hand. Fast and
light.
I have had to downsize to a
smaller-capacity pack, mainly because of my recent lower back injury (lumbar
disc ruptures). My former daily daypack
had too much capacity, thus tempting me to load too much weight, and it had a
feeble waist strap that was unable to transfer the load more comfortably to my
hips and thus take the load off my back.
This former pack, the North Face
“Router”, is an exceptionally fine model, with incredibly convenient pockets
and features that make a full day of shopping and carousing easy. It has a pocket for a laptop and abundant
space for groceries, with many ingenious gear organization features. I am wearing out my third NF “Router” pack in
the last ten years; I am hard on equipment, and I use them constantly. The only reason I must sideline my “Router”
is that tempts me to carry too much weight and the load presses uncomfortably
on my hip-sacrum area (a wide and better-padded hip belt would have
helped). I am now only using the
“Router” for heavy loads while using my stiff back-brace to protect my lower
back.
I found a smaller pack with a
comfortable hip belt, the tiny Merrell “22L”.
It has a limited capacity, allowing me only small loads, and it has
well-padded hip-belt to put the load on my hips and legs if ever too heavy and
uncomfortable for my back. It is
well-engineered, with many ingenious features, and I love the light-weight
loads it encourages. It has freed me up
to venture further afield without pain.
However, the future of my
backpacking experiences with big multi-day overnight loads, in any weather in
all climates, seems to be terminally threatened. With my weak back and my advancing age, at 73
– if I were to be totally honest – I am becoming skeptical of how much climbing
and backpacking I will be able to do in future days. Yet, I am stubborn and will try to tackle any
of these profoundly personal aesthetic activities if and when I ever can,
to whatever degree possible. Excelsior!
-Zenwind.
.
This has been about the coolest
stretch of fine low-humidity weather I’ve experienced in my many years living
here in Thailand. It’s like fine summer
days in northern Pennsylvania. Nighttime temps have been frequently down to the high-60s F, really comfy. Typically,
we get only about one week in December that is this comfortably cool and dry,
and then days will heat up and humid dew-points return. But this year, persistent high-pressure
systems in more northern Asia have pushed dry, cool air down to us. Much of December was comfortable, as have
been these first days of January.
Blessed coolness. Zen delight!
I have been marching my
neighborhood sidewalk routes relentlessly, taking advantage of the comfortable
weather. I barely sweat (which is
radically different than the 95% of the rest of the days in a normal year, when
I am drenched with sweat just going 100 meters and back from the store).
My intensive THC-enhanced routine exercise warm-ups - of Tai Chi, calisthenics and stretching - drive me to push my limits and increase the length of my marches, and with a much quicker pace, incredibly more than in any recent years. My recent back-injury sciatica pain and disability has been reduced significantly. I am exploring further and further into areas beyond my immediate
neighborhood, seeing people and places new to me. I thrive on such exploration. I feel stronger every day.
I missed another month’s diary-blog
posting here, i.e., December’s.
Sorry. I was too busy exercising
(and reading) to turn on my laptop to write.
Good weather makes me want to Move, and I will move as much as I possibly can.
Happy New Year!
-Zenwind.
.
