HERE!

HERE

Someday soon me hopes to get a new machine so I can start posting the GOOD video from the trip here.

One thing that’s really stayed with me is a compassion and open mind about the people around me. In Thailand I wanted to smile at every person, to study their face, maybe talk to them a little about what life is about for them. I was open to all travelers, it was so easy to start up a conversation when you know you’re in the same boat. I’ve really tried to bring that compassion home, just because all these humans happen to live in Chicago and speak my language doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of my compassion and interest. I’ve noticed that I’ve been striking up conversations with strangers more than usual. I like that.

I’ve also been trying to keep my eyes more open here. There are so many things in my own neighborhood that I see and don’t really see on a daily basis. I need to keep myself so open here, ready to see what makes Chicago amazing to other people, to see this city in a fresh and new way. It’s kind of fun to see it that way.

And the one thing I hold on to is gratitude. My goodness am I a lucky girl. For some reason I get to be one of the people who gets to ride my bike on a Sunday afternoon instead of working 8 jobs. I get to be a woman who is an equal of her husbands. I get to go out with the greatest people in the world and drink vodka and 7-Ups and no one can tell me not to. I have food and clean water and a dog. I am somehow able to go to the movies and to laugh truly and honestly at anything I choose.

These are not small things and it is for me to honor them and cherish them and remember them.

And then here is the truth about the beach. Its MAYBE 12 feet of actual beach. Room as you can see for only ONE or TWO beach chairs.

What a great place to kill time and your hangover before you go back out to the girly bars.

And no matter what comes of our lives in the next few months, no matter what fears arise at 6AM, no matter what struggles we will live through while trying to pool money together, there is no part of me that regrets what we did.

This “recession” is about so much more than “money.” This recession is about learning to live with less, learning to live more simply, learning to see the world around you, learning to appreciate what we have, learning to actually see other people, learning to work hard, learning to laugh, learning to be self-reliant, learning to see the beauty through mounds of dirt.

And this is what we learned in Thailand. We learned how to be strong. We saw the art and compassion in a dirty city built in a jungle. We washed our own clothes with our own hands. We saw that even though we may be broke, we are not poor. We lived with what we could carry with us and felt the freedom from cumbersome attachments. We enjoyed each others company so fully that we can bring that home with us to help get us through the really rough days. We saw people unlike ourselves that were so very much like ourselves. We learned that beauty and color and joy and food and love have nothing to do with how many dollars or baht we have.

So now that we’re here and a few thousand dollars that went to United Airlines would be lovely right now, I don’t want that money back for anything in the world. If I could change it now and we could have the money back without the trip, I would spit on that money.

Any regrets? The only one I have is that we didn’t stay a little longer.