Wednesday Walk: getting fresh air by the river.

The train surprisingly arrived on time at my destination station; it would usually be about an hour late. I was so glad to be in a different reality from that of Bangkok at least once a month. This experience of alternate reality kept me centered and reminded me to be mindful of the purpose of my life. I would often got swept by everyday activities and demand for solving survival necessities. The green trees along the country road and cool light air helped to soothe my busy brain and calm me down.

Luckily the monsoon rain has given us a few days’ break while the northern part of the country was inundated with sudden flooding and runaway rain water from mountains. I was so grateful to be lead by Mother Nature and local guardian spirits to settle in this part of flat countryside. This made cycling very enjoyable and most villagers would have at least two bicycles in their houses.

In the evening, children could be seen on their bicycles and tricycles along the promenade with their families. Some adults would bring along their plastic chairs to enjoy the sunset and some beer or whiskey to share with their friends. I often wondered how late these villagers stayed with their drinking party and whether they had to walk back to their houses instead of biking.

Some youngsters gathered by the river to practice rowing their long racing boats on the river. The monsoon season offers these young rowers a chance to enter boat races and make some money. The simple life by the river could be exciting from time to time. The other day the only villager who made traps to catch river prawns found a big white sag on his way to retrieve his prawn traps. He opened the big sack which he thought was probably swept down the river. He took one of the packets to the local authority to report on what he had found by the river.

It turned out that the small packet was full of small tablets of ‘ecstasy’ drug. So, a commotion started with some officials and policemen making their appearance by the river to collect the sag of drug and some evidence. The fisherman couldn’t sleep and became anxious for his life. His friend told him to be careful as he had angered some drug traffickers who had lost a whole sag of drugs without making money from the delivery. My gardener told me that this fisherman found the sag of drug before the buyers could retrieve the sag during the night. The drug traffickers could easily send someone to punish the fisherman so that others wouldn’t meddle with drug traffickers’ property. I hoped this fisherman would be safe and survive his trauma eventually.

I was glad the dirt road was no longer muddy and slippery. The last time I went cycling, I almost lost my balance on the muddy road which was an exciting challenge for me. Even simple cycling, I had to be mindful of what I was doing and had to assess the hidden risks along my path. Sometimes it could be quite tricky whether to go straight through a group of cows along the river. Once I encountered a young calf who was eager to get close to me; the owner had to intervene as he was about to knock me off my balance. The best thing to do was to give some signals to the owner that I was about to cycle through the gang of cows. So, he would be on the look out for me and his cows.

Several villagers like to keep a few cows though they have no land for them to nourish themselves. Some villagers would have to bring their cows along the river as wild grasses and weeds are abundant in rainy season. Some villagers would have to ask permissions to cut grasses in overgrown gardens to feed their cows. Fortunately, a villager has been cutting grasses in my garden for feeding his five cows. This made the gardener quite happy as it meant less work for her. We used to have some young goats eating young leaves in the garden. These goats were very cute and smart; they knew where to hide among banana trees. Fortunately, the owner had sold all his goats a few months ago.

There is still a thick layer of clouds in the sky which makes the sunset less dramatic. But the massive sheets of water that silently flow along the river always spread strong vibes all around. The land seems to be very receptive of all the crazy vibes humans have created around the world. However, Mother Nature continues to be kind and generously nurtures and balances all karmic results of all sentient beings on earth. Cycling by the river has become an essential part of living a healthy and spiritual lifestyle. I am forever grateful to precious Mother Nature and all river guardians for looking after us as much as possible.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.