Broken English

He sees me everyday,
Greets me with the most wonderful smile,
A smile that touches the very softest parts of my soul,
A smile that reflects in his eyes as it does in his wrinkled face.

He doesn't pry or ask much of me,
He simply observes my comings and goings gently,
"You spend a lot of time alone" he says to me,
A peaceful caring tone of inquiry.

We are up early enjoying the peace of the morning,
Observing the majestic mountains as the clouds roll over like thick blankets of silk,
We listen to the birds and the patter of soft rainfall,
Experiencing some deep inner truth in the midst of it all.

The beauty of Pai as clouds and mountains collide,
A sacred space of being where I can neither be heard nor seen,
Solitude a place far from being lonely,
A place that neither wants nor takes anything from me.

Travelling alone has set something free,
I cannot contain this new found part of me,
My old familiar self has some permanency,
I fear I might loose this new balanced part of me.

"You know what you want to do" he says without ever having a conversation with me,
Non invasive non threatening raw honesty,
"I see you everyday, you have purpose, it beautiful" something he has observed in me,
Probably the most beautiful broken English that meant the world to me.

Time passes by here without effort,
The days flow into one long timeline,
Time in all its irrelevancy,
Pai has set something free in me.

The Professor In Me

Experience teaches empathy,
Be open to the change,
Really force yourself outside of your comfort zone,
You will never be more free.

Living teaches life,
We only need listen,
Nothing ever lasts forever,
Even rocks are changed by weather.

Observation teaches awareness,
Observing without judgement is the key,
Simply sit and watch,
Learn to just be.

Solitude teaches self awareness,
Observing your every thought, want and need,
You may not become an enlightened guru or spiritual yogi,
But self awareness is key.

Aging teaches the value of time,
Value your mind and your body,
Aging robs you of your physical ability,
But it sets your soul free, aging makes me, Me.

Travelling teaches more than words can explain,
Different perspectives of humanity,
A humility, a self reliance,
Gratitude and self belief.

Each new destination teaches a different lesson,
The course structure is always the same,
Arrive, meet the people, settle in and feel secure,
Then leave again to the next destination to repeat it all once more.

Travelling teaches you that life will always change,
Finding your foreign way,
Just as things become familiar,
You're leaving yet again.

Packing teaches you to hold onto less,
An art performed in perfect synchronicity,
A habitual act of repetition,
The night before you leave.

Love is the ultimate lesson,
To love everyone you meet,
To send out love no matter how empty you feel,
To love yourself in everyone and everything.