cosmic 2k11 / สวัสดีปีใหม่

I was in Bangkok (more on that later) when I got a call from some dear friends in Chiang Mai to say "Happy Rabbit Year!" I hadn't realized it would be the year of the rabbit, which is an unexpected full-circle for this here wild child--especially since the Thai New Year's falls on my birthday.

Last semester we had a unit on New Year's Resolutions in my conversation courses. A lot of them said "I will cut down on playing video games" or "I will keep working hard in class." (Yes, yes, A+!) As for Ajaan, aside from the usual "exercise" and "respond to email," I added some poetry. But first, how about a recap?


Last year's M.O.:

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
(e.bishop)



This year's is a tie (tied taught) between the following:

Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still.
(t.s.eliot)


The Soul should always stand ajar
(e.dickinson)