Out with the old

Tonight I hit the town on my last night in Chiang Mai. Hopefully it's my last night; I'm planning to head to the bus station early tomorrow morning to try and catch the first bus to Chiang Rai, further north. OK, truth be told, the main reason I hit the town was to satisfy my craving for mango sticky rice. (I think they put an addictive ingredient in there honestly.) Well, I satisfied my craving, bought a pair of earrings, and said goodbye to some old energy. As I was walking back to my guesthouse, I heard firecrackers going off and saw sky lanterns floating serenely into the night sky. Sky lanterns are these sort of mini hot air balloons. They're used for festivals and special occasions here. There were many of them in the sky last night as well; as I was walking to dinner I looked up and thought, "Wow, why are the stars orange? And why are they moving?" Turns out they weren't stars, they were sky lanterns. It's believed to be good luck to release one, and is symbolic of letting your problems and worries float away. What problems and worries could I possibly have, you may ask, I'm on semi-permanent vacation! Well, anyone who knows me knows I have an overactive mind and semi-permanent vacation means lots of time for reflection, which is good, of course, but too much of anything is never good. So as I watched my sky lantern float away I used it as a meditation of sorts, to let go of all the negative thoughts that sometimes cloud my mind. And as I started back on my walk, I actually felt lighter. It's a good reminder that each and every day we have a choice, to either dwell on the negative or focus on the positive. I'm not usually one for New Year's resolutions, but this year I am making one, and that is to be more positive. To quote a lovely message my friend sent me on New Year's Eve, "Like birds let us leave behind what we don't need to carry - grudges, sadness, pain, fear, regrets. Life is beautiful, enjoy it." And on that note I wish everyone a new year filled with hope, happiness, and peace.


A family prepares to release their sky lantern.


Goodbye.