I don't think I could live in a place that doesn't hold some sort of natural beauty. I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we can make it our intention to seek beauty everywhere, like choosing to see the good in everyone we encounter... I've always felt that having a body of water or a mountain helps. We've all felt it in one place or another...standing in the midst of something magnificent and having that moment where time stands still and you are struck at the wonderment...of the existence of something greater than ourselves. The moment where "I am small" crosses your mind.
I just finished reading Siddhartha and I'm reminded where at the end of the book, Siddhartha explains to his lifelong friend, Govinda, that once you start to put these thoughts into words, they immediately begin to loose their meaning. "Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish...Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom..." Acknowledging that something greater than yourself exists in nature is the wisdom I'm attempting to convey.
It's how I feel right now, in this moment as I write this blog, sitting near the ocean on Koh Samui, the sound of the ocean waves crashing on the shore, the horizon extends out before me, in the distance there are mountains covered in lush jungle, the gentle breeze caressing my skin, my love by my side.
Chiang Mai is surrounded by a ring of mountains, which is one of the reasons why I decided that I could live there. From almost everywhere in the valley, in all directions, you can see the mountain in the distance. I'm completely fascinated by it. It changes from day to day, sometimes it even changes mood throughout the day and in the evenings, the sun sinks down behind it.
Similar to Lake Michigan, having had the experience of living on both sides I know how it shifts moods, how it can be a place of serene reflection and also tumultuous & filled with anger, it can be cold & icy and warm & inviting.
Back to this mountain in Chiang Mai...the longer we were here and didn't make the journey up this mountain, the more distant and illusive it became. Truth is, I had a fear. Driving up the mountain, just Fuad & I required that we take it on Perry, our scooter. Now I'm comfortable riding the scooter around town, to & from work, which is basically flat land but riding the scooter up a mountain is another story. (Actually, there is another story...we rented a scooter while on our honeymoon in Bali and since I hadn't driven one since I was about 13 years old up & down Desmond Street, I did crash. Fuad on the back, I totally crashed with a group of Balinese men as spectators. Lucky for me, the only injury was my pride & a bloody elbow. I had no choice, I had to get back up on the scooter and get us to our destination, Dream Beach. I also had to get us back to the shop where we had rented the bike. We did have to pay a fee by the way, for damages done to the scooter.)
It took us 3 months to get there, we had a day with beautiful weather, we started the journey up the mountain and after a few minutes I shouted to Fuad on the back, "you know that quote by Eleanor Roosevelt? The one about doing something everyday that scares you?! Now I understand why!!! This is awesome! I'm so glad we decided to do this today!"
It was amazing, the view of Chiang Mai spectacular, the temple at the top was potent, the waterfalls along the way inspiring...and honestly, I can't wait to go back up there and see some more! No longer a fear but an experience of growth & a moment in time spent in wonder.
Here are a few of my pictures from the day and an interesting story about how the temple found it's home near the top of this mountain. Doi Suthep
No comments:
Post a Comment