Entering The Deep End

Where do I begin? I found the jungle and I put a piece of the life puzzle together. I never sought the following treasure, but I fell into it. I met my beautiful and loving wife, Sophorn. Sophorn made life worth living and kept me in check around the clock. She helped me develop a broader view on life than I had prior to ever knowing her. She is someone who has helped me along in my journey of life and the passions that exist within. So, it is only right, she be put into the story at the beginning. Without her, my lifelong treasure hunt would have stalled and I would not have become who I am today.

Traveling Cambodia can be a challenge, especially in the jungle. Do I want an office to be stuck in like down below or to be where I am in the picture above? You make the call. Hmmmm…..not too difficult of a choice right?

Early on in my adventures within Cambodia, I gathered intel on various histories of each area I went into, with the notion, something shall lead me into the bush. Where do I go from here? I thought, I need support. Support not only from actual physical support, but my life support as well. I needed someone I could lean on, in times of success and times of disaster, which I am all too familiar with the latter.

I will give you a good salary he says. I will get you what you need to survive and be prosperous. You will be successful with me. 6 months later, the burly man had given me all of $1,040. I believed because I have faith that people will be honest and truthful and not break promises over greed or anything else that harms their well-being as a human. It was a good thing at the time, I was not solely dependent on life in general from this man or I would have made my way to the sewers of Phnom Penh, not a pretty place at all.

Believing in people to such a degree seemed to be an occurrence that would repeat in my life, not because I was too naive (a little bit of stupid I guess), but because I took my providers word at face value. I cannot say it will ever happen again in life’s trivial pursuit, but I now continuously monitor for snakes (both literally and figuratively) like Norton 360, for a safe, stable operating platform from which to conduct the ongoings of daily life. I believed in another man that promised me a salary, albeit rather on the low-end, and he too, changed the terms, quietly, and it was take it or leave it when I found out. The point is that, life is not worth living under lock and key, with promises. I cannot eat my homemade Water Buffalo burger with only promises.

You might be wondering what is this story about? The story is a long and complicated one, a story that will go on for at least a 1000 times. It is a story filled with metaphorical treasures, along with a search for real physical treasures. This story is one which will rile you up and make you angry, cause confusion in your soul, make you smile on a cloudy day and keep your heart pumping in moments of pure adrenaline rush. For those that take the time to read my passages, I ask for nothing but your patronage in reading and enjoying what is written. I also hope that we may all one day, meet in the jungles of Cambodia and truly take pleasure in one’s company and seek out what is just beyond our reach.

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Original story (created by me) published on Medium.com. Any changes and/or updates that have been added on Vocal.media are for content consumption purposes.

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