The Risk I Have Never Taken

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Daily writing prompt
What’s the biggest risk you’d like to take — but haven’t been able to?
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Throughout my long life, I have managed to take quite a few risks. For me, a risk was doing something different from the norm. When it came to style and the latest fad, I never got too excited about them. However, what did turn me on was the opportunity to travel away from home, my province, and my country. Listening to my heart instead of my head and what my family or friends thought I should do, I took off for Europe with a backpack for a year of travel. When I decided to retire from work, I made a conscious decision to travel in earnest again to explore the other side of the world, namely Asia.

I have visited more than ten countries in Asia and Southeast Asia. I liked them all except for India, which I found very challenging. Thailand has taken first place in capturing my attention. After sixteen visits over the years, it’s not surprising that it has raised the question of whether I should move there permanently.

These days, there are many good reasons why it would be a good idea. The number one reason is that it would be cheaper than my home country, Canada. I also feel better physically when I’m there, living with the sun practically every day. Then there are the Thai people who are so accepting of foreigners. For example, I don’t feel any judgment. They accept us and greet us with smiles, no matter how much of a nuisance some of us might be. These are just some of the reasons I would like to live there.

So why do I hold back from moving there? Is it a fear of having to make such a major move on my own? Yes, it is because I have made so many moves over my lifetime. I am now a homeowner and living on my own. I like my life and know I could sell my house with no problem. It’s the packing and having to get rid of my furniture and all that other stuff I’ve collected over the years. Then there is the problem of language. Most Thais know some English, but not enough to have deep conversations. There are many expats living in Chiang Mai where I go, but do I want to just hang out with expats? I would like to make some Thai friends, but to do that I would have to learn the Thai language which isn’t easy. Learning a new language isn’t one of my strong points.

Honestly, my main reason for not taking this risk is my age. I should have done it earlier when I first began to consider the idea. I don’t think I will regret not taking the risk. Life where I am right now is good. It all boils down to no matter where you decide to live, you can always make the best of what it has to offer.

Facing Hard Work

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What a person considers as hard work means different things to different people. Hard work for me is having to face the challenges that my computer and cell phone give me. Why I say this is because they demand too much of my time trying to figure out how to deal with the latest changes being made, such as deleting unwanted emails trying to sell me something I don’t want, having to deal with changing my password because someone was trying to scam me, trying to figure out instructions Google gives to make changes to suit them, and finally the worst one of all is the help that the chat box wants to give me. I don’t trust them since I used one that tried to lure me into signing up for a membership which cost me money. I got it back, but it took time to contact my bank to have it cancelled. This was stressful and what I consider hard work.

I am over the age hill when it comes to all the stuff going on in our new world of technology. It’s coming to the point where I can easily spend the better part of a day dealing with it all, which stresses me out. I can’t do those things that give me satisfaction instead of grief. However, knowing it’s something I can’t avoid, I grit my teeth and tackle them hoping for the best. I have discovered that in the end, most things work out in my favour, but getting there is always scary and a battle for me.

When I get my bills paid or find the information I need, I feel a great deal of satisfaction. I can at last breathe a sigh of relief and set my sights on doing something I enjoy which is often usually something physical like tending to my vegetable garden or going for a walk. Everything does happen for a reason, I guess. I can’t give up no matter how difficult that may be.

Why I Love Cats

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I’ve been a cat lover and owner for most of my adult life. I’m not sure why that is but it could be because as I was growing up, we had cats for pets. The only person close to me who ever had a dog was my grandmother. She had cats, too, but I never got too attached to them since they were outdoor cats and most of them got hit by cars. In those days there was no such thing as a house cat. Her dog also met an unfortunate death when he was killed by a pack of wild dogs one winter. Although I was saddened by Patch’s terrible demise, I didn’t quite miss him as much as the cats who got hit by the cars passing in front of our house.

When my grandmother died, I moved to the city where we were brought up by our Aunt who was like a mother to me. She loved cats and always had one. That was when I learned so much about cats and their behavior. In fact, one of the first presentations I had in Grade 9 was all about Ginny our cat. Ginny came to her when he was a kitten but she thought he was a female so that’s how he got his name. Ginny had no tail so we thought he was a Manx. He could have been but he might also have lost his tail from some kind of accident. We didn’t know so he got stuck with a female name. He was an extremely friendly cat and was always there to meet the kids after their classes at the school which was just across from our house. He was in our lives for a long time entertaining us with his antics. I can’t remember how he died but have a hunch it was because of old age. By the time of his demise, I was no longer living at home.

The next cat to enter my life after I got married and before my daughter was born was another stray who just appeared one night at our New Year’s Eve party. Our house was packed with people and I was too busy making sure everyone had food and drink that I never noticed him until someone asked when we got this cat who was making friends with everyone. What cat I thought? We don’t have a cat. Well, the next day we decided to keep him if no one came to claim him. No one did come so we named him Pogo. He was a tabby and so clever. In fact, his character was almost dog like. He loved people and followed us around like a puppy. He was also easy to train and loved to play games. My husband had him jumping and doing all kinds of things a dog would do. For example, he would walk along the beach with us. When he came to some water, he would simply walk around it and continue to walk on with us. As you probably know, cats don’t like water like dogs do.

He was also a very sensitive cat. I always felt he was reading my mind. After our daughter was born, like any new mother, I put most of my time on her and didn’t pay as much attention to Pogo as I used to. One night, he came to our door looking rather ragged and limping. We assumed he had been hit by a car. We quickly bundled him and took him to the vet where he had a pin put into his back leg joint. After that incident, he was never the same. He seemed to be fading away. About the same time, I happened to catch an interview on CBC with a pet psychologist from New York who was talking about cats and their sensitivity. It caught my attention when he explained that bringing a baby into the household, your pet could resort to extreme behavior, such as injuring itsel,f just to get attention. My mind flashed back to his accident two months previously, when he came home dragging his leg behind him. I was the cause because I had abandoned him. At that time, I was following Dr Spock, many mothers’ guru for bringing up babies, who cautioned us to never let a cat sleep with your baby. That old wives’ tale has since been abolished.

I would like to have a cat these days because I live alone. However, so long as I keep travelling for months at a time, I won’t take on that responsibility. It might be good for me, but not for a cat. I’ve learned my lesson.

Being Inspired By Chiang Mai’s Changing Culinary Scene

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What more can I say about Chiang Mai without repeating myself when this is my sixteenth visit to this city? Those of you following my travels and reading more than a dozen posts about this popular city in Thailand would probably ask the same question. I have been asking it since my arrival almost two months ago and was about to give up on writing anything this time around until today. So what ignited the spark for me to sit down and begin writing on the topic of pancakes?

Since Chiang Mai has been getting hotter and smoggier with each passing day and I have only a week left before I must head home to Nova Scotia where it’s freezing cold, I decided a few days ago I would get up early before the temperature hit the mid-thirties to find the restaurant that I used to go to for some delicious pancakes. I’ve hankered for a pancake breakfast ever since I’ve been here but I haven’t had much luck finding a restaurant in the neighborhood where I stay with pancakes on their menu. There are lots of good coffee and bakery cafes to supplement my yogurt and granola stash in the fridge of my tiny kitchenette to give me a healthy breakfast most days, but I needed a change. What I wanted was a good old pancake breakfast.

Why pancakes you might wonder? To begin with, the Thai love to satisfy their tourist tastes so there have always been some fairly good restaurants around to satisfy our American taste buds. I’ve had some delicious ones over the years on my visits to Chiang Mai but where exactly would they be now? The restaurant scene has changed drastically since COVID. Many of those I became used to over the years have disappeared or been upgraded into something new. Nevertheless, the one that kept coming back to haunt me was Good Morning Chiang Mai. So, I decided to check it out to see if they were still there and see if pancakes were still on their menu. Last year they were undergoing a massive renovation which looked like it was going to be what I would call a posh one. Would they still have their old menu with their delicious pancakes and if so would they be a decent price?

To make what could become a long story short, I found the place despite the confusing information Google Maps gave me. Using my instinct or intuition, I found the correct soi (side street) with the new complex which now consists of a hotel, a pool, an inviting garden, and a newly renovated restaurant. There was a menu outside the posh entrance which I opened with bated breath thinking the prices would be out of my reach and surely there would be no pancakes. When I saw they were still there and within my budget, without a moment’s hesitation I opened the heavy door and headed for a ringside seat by the pool. What a piece of good luck or was it serendipity? I felt like I had come home to something special which would be a memorable experience.

The presentation of my breakfast was another wonderful surprise. There they were…two good-sized pancakes with a variety of colorful fruits on the side. I tucked in eating as much as I could. They were melt in your mouth delicious but filling as pancakes can be. I couldn’t finish them so I discretely wrapped what was left in a napkin and stuffed them in my bag. I should also mention that my Americano coffee was also delicious.

Having eaten all I could, I decided to take some pictures of the premises. I had already taken one of my pancakes. Up to this point, I hadn’t taken much notice of the couple to the left of my table until the man got up to pay their bill while the woman waited for him on the bench by the door. When he reappeared, I asked if I could take a picture of them. I must add that this is not something I usually do but for a reason unknown, it seemed like the right thing to do. They were both happy to oblige. I never asked him if he was once a photographer but he certainly went at it like a professional. After shooting three of me, I called a halt knowing the fun he seemed to be having would end up as more. Furthermore, I sensed his woman friend was getting a bit bored with it all. In the meantime while taking the photos and for a short time after, I found out she was from the Philippines and he was from the northern part of Italy. Somehow, we got onto life in Thailand and how it was a great country for expats. He was especially forceful about how much I stood to gain by selling my house and moving over permanently when he found out I was from cold Canada. He had all the latest news about the changes for getting a six-month or a one-year visa initiated by the present government to encourage and make it easier for those who want to make Thailand their home. I won’t bore you dear reader with any more about our photo shoot and conversation but it has had an impact. Yes, I can honestly say it has inspired me to do this post for my blog. Perhaps it’s a beginning to determining where I go from here? One never knows these days, does one?

You can click on the pictures to enlarge and read the messages below.

Climate Change Is My Greatest Concern

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We are now facing a pivotal point in the direction we must take to deal with our changing climate. The decisions we make from here on will determine our future as inhabitants of this planet Earth. Huge changes will be needed in our way of thinking and lifestyle. The crux of the problem is whether or not we have the courage to make the required changes and if so is there enough time to figure out what we need to do? These are ominous questions that most of us don’t even want to think about let alone do anything about.

Unfortunately, most of us are living with the hope that some miracle will happen. This is great if one believes in miracles but we will have to somehow create those miracles. We can’t idly stand by and do nothing. If we don’t believe in hope and miracles as a solution for dealing with climate change, then why not take the time we have left and make the most of it? Why not live life each day as though it’s our last! I don’t know about you dear reader, but I find that difficult to do. How can I close my eyes and ears to what is happening in our world knowing we humans are the cause of our numerous problems which includes climate change. Should we not take on the responsibility for at least trying to correct some of the wrongs we have made?

The greatest concern facing me as I write about climate change is to figure out how I can live a satisfying life for as long as I am on this planet and at the same time do things that will benefit it? I have concluded that writing blog posts on the subject isn’t enough. It’s time for me to think seriously about what I can change in my life today that will benefit the world. This is the most difficult part because it will require a significant change in my thinking and actions. Sacrifices will have to be made. What will they be and how far can I take them?

I have been concerned about our changing climate for years. It all began while living in Oakville, a lovely town on the outskirts of Toronto on Lake Ontario. Every summer we would be faced with a heat wave lasting for a few weeks which would sap our energy and bombard us with a stench emanating from the sewage leaking into the lake. Consequently, several years later after moving to the small village of Victoria Beach in Nova Scotia, I was confronted with huge logging trucks that would come barrelling down our narrow road on their way to the mills where their logs were milled for paper and firewood to be shipped over to Europe as a source of heat for their furnaces. One day I decided to go up to the mountain where the trucks were coming from and was shocked to see the devastation the loggers left behind. It literally looked like a war zone. I immediately sent a letter to our provincial Minister of Forestry only to receive a reply stating what a great job he and his department were doing by developing this source of fuel as a way to heat homes in the European market.

It was around this time while I was searching for a way to make some money so I could travel to far-off places in my retirement days. At that time, my husband and I decided to spend part of our winter in Thailand. We did this trip in 2008 and I was totally besotted with the beauty and the culture of this part of our world vowing to return again….and again! By 2012 after visiting other SE Asian countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam, the piles of garbage and the quality of the air were much more visible than anything I had ever experienced in Canada. Since most of my time has been spent in Chiang Mai, I have written numerous posts on the subject of climate change precipitated by the quality of their air which seems to worsen every year. Below are some of them if you want to read more about what I have witnessed over the years.

Waking Up to the Effects of Climate Change

A Parade for the Pollution Problem in Chiang Mai

My concern for the effects of climate change isn’t limited to what I’ve witnessed in Chiang Mai. I had a taste of it while visiting Luang Prabang in Laos and on my visits to Cambodia. While in Laos I experienced a cold spell which took me completely by surprise. The temperature fell down to almost freezing. At night I had to sleep with all the clothes I had taken with me to keep warm. During the day I would go to the spas for a hot steam bath. Little did I know that such temperatures were becoming more common in this country where it’s usually hot and humid.

As for Cambodia, I wasn’t surprised to discover that their main concern is for the rising level of their water sources. In the northern part of the country, they have the enormous Tonlee Sap (one of the world’s largest lakes) where the livelihood of the fishermen is being devastated by the rising water levels. Granted the blame can be put upon China for using Cambodia’s river and lake system as a cheap source for their electrical needs. However, much can be blamed on the war and the attempted genocide of their population during the Vietnam War which caused a massive loss of not just their people but also their forests. Messing with Mother Nature has taken its toll in Cambodia and will continue to do so unless there is a change in how the country is governed.

If we take the time to go back into the history of Cambodia, we will discover that the once flourishing Angkor civilization was wiped out by flooding and a money system constructed by the people that impoverished their livelihoods and contributed to their demise. I would suggest that the ‘powers that be’ in Cambodia take a look at their history, learn from it, and not repeat it.

I don’t think I would be far off from the truth of why our world is in such a mess and how important it is for us to accept responsibility for this by admitting that we have made mistakes that we should at least try to rectify. Just think of the outcome if we could all pull together and put our concern for climate change at the top of our list of things we need to change. However, how is it possible to do something as radical as this? I believe that we could but….yes, there is that ‘but’, we need to start with ourselves and ask”What can I do that will be of some benefit”? The key is to start small. For example, I can go so far as to wash out plastice bags and containers to use for future use instead of buying cheap ones at the dollar store. I always carry a small cloth bag with me which I will haul out at the grocery store for my food items. It takes some time and organizing but in the long run it’s worth it.

These little things can take time, I agree. And since time is a commodity we never seem to have enough of all I can say is to do as much as you can. Some days you will be more willing than others. It’s really all about changing our mindset. Positive actions and thoughts will never be a waste of time. Everything in our lives is energy so why not try to keep that energy on a positive track and spread it around to the people and the environment around you? How is that going to help us deal with our changing climate you may ask? Simply keeping the chemicals in plastics out of our water, soil and air is a first step for the environment. For those people we come in contact with, a smile can work wonders.

We must begin with ourselves no matter how trivial or inconsequential our actions may seem. I would suggest that this is where we need to take some time to go back into our own history and start there. The best way to do that is to each and every day find at least one thing we have in our life to be thankful for. The more things we can think of the better. When things go wrong we don’t panic or give up, but get back up and try again. If we go back to the history books and learn about those who made a difference in the world for the better, we find that this is how they accomplished what they were destined to do. It’s the best advice we could ever get. There is absolutely no benefit to simply blaming and complaining about the things we don’t like. I have been learning this valuable lesson over the years and am still learning it. It’s a never-ending process. I am the first to admit that learning how to control my overactive mind is one of the most difficult things to do but the most necessary. We must acknowledge that fear is our enemy because if we don’t it can kill us.

On that note, I am going to leave you with this beautiful quotation: “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” Anon.

Here is another one that hit home for me: “You can change everything from within yourself no matter how chaotic the world around.“