MEDITATION WORKSHOP

---

Chiang Mai is lovely. I’ve been here for 3 days and I’ve decided to add an extra day here because I like it so much. I stayed here Monday night then shuttled off to an overnight meditation workshop. I’m writing a short story about that experience, it was quite funny and wonderful. We stayed outside of town, dressed in all white, and didn’t speak to each other for 2 days. It was like a sociological experiment, I kept wondering if we were being watched and documented by Thai people hiding in the bushes. Needless to say, I had a profound, peaceful experience along with some witty, sarcastic inner dialogue. Of course.

One of the things Buddhists practice is eating for the body and mind, not for gluttony. They chant before every meal to reiterate this point. I think it’s an important point as I have battled with food in many aspects of my life, physically and mentally. On a side note, I’ve discovered that Thai food in Thailand makes me sick to my stomach. So frustrating! It’s not a dysentery kind of sick, it’s my gastritis flaring up. My stomach rumbles, bloats out, and screams at me. Abby says she thinks they use MSG. So, of course, my stomach was pissed off during the retreat. Meditating helped to calm it down a little.

When I returned to my guesthouse yesterday I was in a daze. It was bewildering going from a silent retreat out of town and being thrown back into the sensory overload that is Chiang Mai (and every city in Thailand.) I went to my room, turned on my phone, checked my messages, and decided to take my computer to the bar across the street to start documenting the past couple of days. The name of the bar is “Thai 1 On.” Clever. I sat down and ordered a beer, cheeseburger, and fries in the mindless way that us Americans do. I got halfway through the burger and became utterly disappointed in myself. Was the last 2 days for nothing? Am I just going to ignore my stomach even though it’s screaming for help? I know better! It’s rare for me to eat a burger in Texas, why the hell am I doing it halfway around the world? I didn’t finish the other half, though I did finish my second beer (I can’t waste the beer!) and I vowed to do better. I’m going to wear my mango wood mala beads as a reminder to be good to myself. It's a work in progress.

Today has been much better. I started with a meditation and a 2 mile walk around the old city. I’ll write more about that later. Right now I’m headed downstairs to wait for my ride. I’m starting my Thai cooking classes! I’ll be able to dissect this food and figure out what is killing my stomach… and I’ll be able to prepare authentic Thai food for those I love back home. 😊



Thanks for reading.

---

Comments

[Ape]

❤️
Keep the writing up! I love reading your experiences. I'm glad you're having a good time.

[Jenna]

Holy Sh**
Around strangers for two days with no talking...how did your brain not explode? Guess I'm projecting... Meditation must really work! Sucks that the food keeps biting back...but I can't wait to taste yours:-) keep fighting the good fight and blog on my dear. Second beer was for this hussy ;-)