It's a Heatwave

With 40 degrees and over, sunshine and no rain, day after day, last night it became official this is a heatwave.  So declared my German neighbour.  In such conditions, the weather becomes the focus of how one plans one life. 

It is too hot to go out in the middle of the day.  It is better to go to work early.  When you meet someone, best to meet in a mall.  Stay indoors with the air-con on. 

What it also does is sap your energy so that I just don't feel inspired to write anything this week but I remain determined to do so.  It is not that nothing of note has happened.  It has. 

During the week, I was negotiating going to Sydney for a meeting next month but then discovered that the decision was to be made for me by the fact that there were no seats left on a plane for a return to Bangkok.  This is because of school holidays in New South Wales and the subsequent rush of Australians to Thailand.  That simple experience made me realize how my basic choices in life determine other possibilities and realities for me.  This is where I am and I cannot just go when I want, like or decide.  There are consequences to decisions made and that is the way it is.  This is life.

Sunday saw the arrival of the new administrator to the cathedral.  I thought how I miss our previous administrator as he was so kind.  It made me realize that I have been here long enough to both know and like the priests and now here long enough to be affected by their comings and goings.  This is life

In the same week, I heard of the death of a friend from here and made a new friend.  I had met Allan when I first came here.  We had both arrived around the same time.  This meant that we had a natural bond and shared common experiences.  So we would talk about being here.  Allan became somewhat disillusioned about here but ever the gentleman ready for a friendly chat.  Ten years later he dies in Bangkok.  It makes me think about me and my being here.  You spend a life here and where does it go as time goes so quickly.  This is life. 

This news of Allan's death is shared by another friend with another and me.  The other guy at the end of this news is also shocked.  Maybe it is once again a common bond but within a few days we have a new friend in each other.  This is life.   

Heatwave or no heatwave, life goes on.  This is life.