As I was walking home from a yoga class this afternoon, I was saw the most beautiful flower bush in full bloom. I stopped moving, closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. As the fresh scent floated through my body and straight to my soul, I suddenly felt as though I was back in Thailand. I was completely overcome with peace and serenity. Tears came to my eyes. I blinked them open and looked around at this incredible world we live in with complete wonder.
It occurred to me as I stood there, not far from busy Lawrence Avenue in Chicago, that my flashback didn't really take me back to a place. My heart and soul felt so completely rich during my time in Thailand not because of the place, but because of the space it allowed me to discover.
Don't get me wrong--I'd give just about anything to be back on the sands of Haad Yuan Bay overlooking the ocean, listening to the geckos, feeling the gentle breeze, sipping on a fresh coconut and chowing down on a pumpkin curry--those experiences were completely unique to Thailand. There's no doubt in my mind that Thailand carries a magic completely its own.
But the cathartic release, open heart and content soul I found on the island came from the moment, not the place. The complete contentedness I associate with my experience in Thailand was about the space I was able to create in my body and mind during my journey. While I cannot easily get myself back to Thailand, with remarkably little effort (sleep, a yoga asana practice, fresh air and some natural beauty), I can get myself back to that space.
This does not diminish the significance places hold in our hearts. I will forever associate so many positive emotions, lessons and moments with Thailand, and that makes Thailand forever a treasure of mine. But I find it quite comforting, inspiring even, that I can recreate that space right here at home--or anywhere else for that matter.
Sometimes, we just need to allow a moment to be exactly as it is, to realize, it's exactly what we need. Every thirst is satiable if we give ourselves the space to drink it in.
