6am. 1 million thoughts later. and i am still no closer to sleep. sitting on my jungle balcony with the rushing sound of the river and the odd bird as my only companion i am struck by the quiet and stillness that surrounds me. my nocturnal habits. my sleepless mind. questioning and postulating and wondering around the cluttered chambers of brain matter. amazing thailand: where you have that friday feeling everyday. i don't think i have fully grasped the thai way of "just being." which brings to mind the basic principles of taoism. i read the tao of pooh for some lovely enlightenment, winnie the pooh style. and you should too. and this morning, looking at the river, i think i understand what pooh was trying to say. be like the river, ever flowing and moving fluidly around any rocks or obstacles in its path. don't over complicate things and over think to the point of confusion. the principle of wei wu wei is the Taoist concept of "effortless doing," and pu, the concept of being open to but unburdened by experience. both are highly uncommon characteristics of western thinking. being in thailand has aided in breaking down my ingrained western thought patterns and structures. this has not been easy as i am constantly plagued by the feeling of needing to be doing something, keeping busy. working towards something. achieving something in some shape or form. instead i have had the most relaxing and inspiring 3 months of attempting the art of "just being" and for that i am truly happy.
