To Bangkok and Back

Life is strange and confusing at times, and if you had asked me a year ago if I would be happy the answer would be hell no. Yet, here I am knowing joy once again. 2023 was one of the most difficult years of my life followed by some of the best moments of my life. I started 2023 off with a painful breakup, almost lost my mother to cancer again, and lost a good friend all in the month of January. With all that suffering I still managed to come out on top. I saw the beautiful northern lights, I took a job out in Guam, and ended up traveling to countries I had always wanted to see. I saw Mt. Fuji in Japan; I saw the beautiful temples of Thailand and met a wonderful woman. I saw the streets of Mumbai and the Parthenon in Athens only to return home and lose my grandma.

I lost plenty but I gained priceless moments to experience that I may never have attempted if I had not been driven by my losses. Which leads me to my current life in 2024 that has been spent full of love and joy. I took a trip back to Thailand to see my girlfriend Kan, and we took a vacation over to Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam. We stayed on the famous Bue Vien walking street that became alive at night. We saw the Cu Chi tunnels and I felt my heart break as I finally understood what my fellow veterans endured during the war. We tasted Vietnamese cuisine on a street food tour until our stomachs were bursting full. The week we spent together was beautiful and wonderful just walking around the bustling streets of Saigon. If you ever find yourself in Saigon, I highly recommend Saigon tours for any of your sightseeing needs. Riding those motorbikes around the city was one of the most freeing moments.

This is the first vacation I have had where I spent it with a significant other. Usually, I am a solo traveler, so this was a first for us both. She watched me continuously make a fool of myself and we both fell in love with one another. Going from such a difficult year to this year has been refreshing. I look forward to more journeys with Kan as we continue to grow with one another. She is my more sensible half, and always trying to make sure I eat good food, though not too spicy. She insists on paying for things, and I try to sneak money back into her purse. She reminds me of how love is supposed to feel even with the ups and downs of it all. Love is free and compassionate, and she embodies these qualities the most with her kindness and free spirit. She has become a light in my world that I never expected to find.

I am slowly remembering what it feels like to be a child exploring the world, and being loved enough to brave life as it comes. This invigorating feeling of youth combined with some hard-earned wisdom seems to keep my life balanced. I can wake up every day feeling grateful that I am here despite my trials. These days I am reminded of the gifts of life which are something I took for granted so many times. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me grow as a writer, a person, a lover, and a friend to become the man I am. People can recover, and life can get better.