writer. traveller. life unraveller.
The Chiang Mai flood of 2024. That’s how we’ll refer to it years from now. It’s making history. And it’s also presenting a bizarre juxtaposition to which I have a good view from where I live. The Ping River broke its banks not once but twice in the past 10 days, flooding streets, homes, markets,... Continue Reading →
Write the damn book, that memoir. What have you got to lose? A reputation I don’t care about. A story that’s not mine. An outcome that has already occurred. So, nothing. Except for those little things like time, energy, the will… well, I will do it because the impetus to write it––climb that hill in... Continue Reading →
“I fucking hate people.” Julia Roberts’ character expresses this sentiment at the start of the recent Netflix blockbuster Leave The World Behind. This made me laugh out loud because I often find myself saying the same thing during my eternal “time of the month.” The thing is that I don’t hate people, not even a... Continue Reading →
Some say life's an uphill climb. Hell, I’m pretty sure I’ve said that, but with negative underpinnings. The thing is, I do see life as an uphill climb, but I actually like hills, whether I’m cycling, walking, or hiking. I like them for a few reasons. The first is that I enjoy the effort, hard... Continue Reading →
The current chaos of the world right now is hard to see, to feel, to reconcile. It’s beyond tragic. There’s rage, empathy, pity, and deep sadness. There’s shame, too. Shame about the ways we ignore, reject, keep silent either outwardly or inwardly. About the ways we’ve either directly or indirectly contributed to suffering––our own or... Continue Reading →
It’s Canadian Thanksgiving again, a whole year later. It’s incredible how fast the years seem to fly by now, at the ripe “old” age of 44. This becomes most obvious to me on Tuesdays for some reason. Have you ever caught yourself realizing it’s Tuesday again, though it just seemed to be Tuesday like five... Continue Reading →
So long, Bert, my bicycle buddy. I’ve known this Dutch fella for a year now. We met in the Hideout, an awesome little breakfast/lunch spot in old Chiang Mai. I spotted him in cycling garb, ready to brave another fierce climb up the long, steep, and winding road of Chiang Mai’s resident mountain, Doi Suthep.... Continue Reading →
There are few things in the world that don’t bring me joy these days. Living in Chiang Mai has that effect on me. But one of the main givers recently is tiny, potted plants. Tiny, potted, hanging-by-beaded-strings plants, even. One or two will do, though every Sunday evening I find myself strolling Chiang Mai’s Sunday... Continue Reading →
Today is a good day to meet my love. Sun comes flickering through leaves, clinging with their frail stems to quiet, crooked limbs. Some lose their tenacious grip and flutter furiously through air, as though cast out, finally released, useless and free. Curled up, crisp dry, and tinted by death. Joining their shadows on the... Continue Reading →
Aren't we all just trying to get closer to God? Everything we do, even the stuff that seems to go against God are all just methods, attempts, grasping for an infinite source of love. For Love. And the whole time it's already who we are. I am loving awareness. So are you. When you close... Continue Reading →
colleen thornton 