writer. traveller. life unraveller.
When I started living full time in Thailand’s northern urban darling, it was during COVID, and each soi I turned into held the same eerie hush. Shutters were closed over windows and “traffic” amounted to the echo of an odd car, motorbike, or tuktuk. I half expected to see tumbleweeds rolling down Thapae Road, to... Continue Reading →
Not all risks involve bungee cords, LSD, Bitcoin—or even poles. Many risks are quiet and internal acts of courage that challenge who we think we are. Like ingrown hairs, they’re intimate—and invisible to (almost) everyone but ourselves. Small psychic risks are the little acts of courage we take to confront our own status quo. From... Continue Reading →
It’s strange to watch your parents age. I’m not around my mom and dad too often, just a once-per-year visit home for a few weeks to check in and enjoy each others’ company for a bit of time. To be reminded of the beautiful, natural fallibility of the people we love is a cyclical and... Continue Reading →
In Hinduism, when a person dies, a year-long mourning period takes effect in which the family does not participate in any celebrations. On the one-year anniversary, Shradda is recognized with a memorial service, in which closure is brought to formal mourning with traditions similar to many other religions: the reading of scriptures and of course,... Continue Reading →
An Italian man once said to me, “Colleen, you’re approaching the age of deterioration. You can’t live the way you’re living for too much longer. People won’t receive you as well as you get older. You won’t be as pretty, your body won’t be as fit. That’s how it is for women.” I was 35.... Continue Reading →
colleen thornton 