A Well Earned Age Spot

All artwork this post courtesy of Bangkok Art and Culture Center

An age spot turned up in an odd place like overnight on my inside left arm, and normally I would worry ...but I think this one is well deserved. Recently, my partner was given an Iphone sent by his sister from Europe, from her new home, as she and her husband just got a new one. She knew he had sent milk for her boys even when money was tight, it was about time for a gift. He was all ready to give it me, even before it came in the mail. He doesn’t use Mac, but I knew as soon as he played with it he would be hooked. It arrived safely and he wanted to set it up and give it to me to take on our next trip.  He knows I could really use it with my speech disability, and the maps to get around town. I kept quiet, and helped him set it up. He uploaded his favorite Isan singers, and I linked my MAC to it so he could use without burning through his minutes. He Skyped his sister and talked to his nephews, and he was tickled. Now, he takes off for work with music on and sings to it around home, even going to sleep with it on. It gave a leg up with his workmates that he already spins donuts around their lazy work habits. His boss, knows how valuable he is, with his English skills and multi-tasking ability. Chatting in English on Skype to clients in Singapore, and on the phone in Thai locally. A little bit of my influence, but really all he needed was love and the gift of higher learning.I am sure you can guess, I let the Iphone go to the best man here. Now I treated him singing favorites.

I have been trying to say we need to talk, when we have time and all machines are off. We finally sat on the bed today, face to face and knee to knee cross-legged….I joked, “Ok, Let’s meditate! It is about time….”

He had enough bad experiences as a novice while he was poor and hungry as a boy, being the abbot’s gopher and mistreated. Something he did not need with his background of being abandoned. So, for now meditation is something the farang(me) does only. He is jai-dee, and has a good heart and like I have said before anything he does “wrong” is never done with bad intentions.

….Back to our talk, I asked him, “Is there anything more I could do to make you happy?” Putting aside my stupid niggling mind, you know the one that brings up jealousy and envy like bad heart-burn after too much pizza. He is a handsome man just getting his eye wrinkles, much liked by peers, workmates and friends. Oh, sure it came up last night when I ran over my idea in my head. I said that what the mind does, tries to spoil good intentions, and totally discounted it. My real goal was to give him all the freedom he deserves, and be the person who loves with no boundaries. He leaned over and put his head in my lap, and said,  “You have given me everything I want already, and you’ve changed from old demands and listed them. Surely, he cannot tie this to anything like my Vipassana’s nor does he want to know the cause of my change, but aware of it. He has been big enough to go with my flow and maturation over our years together. He knows deep down that his first guess of where my heart lies when we first met, still holds true to this day. And that can only boost his confidence. He said, “You know I have to give my Mom money, and if I had more I would start to pay your back for my college, and masters.”  He also chirped in that he likes his work and responsibility and is happy. I said, your Mom actually loves you, even though abandoning you at birth, she gave you to your “grand-parents” (village elders) who loved you and taught you to always give back even though they had nothing (toomboon). You have in turn taught her how to forgive and to love you properly. His mother went to his Masters Graduation ceremony, and a photo of the two of them, him beaming and she with tears running down her cheeks graces my shrine at home. So, this age spot came just at the right time.