Starting the new year and looking back at a couple of things. Not in any specific order I remembered some of my happy moments this year. Two of them really stood out and surprisingly both moments came from places that are meant to be spiritual. The soul after all takes what it needs from wherever it can. My first moment was my birthday when I was at the Pura Tirta Empul in Bali...and the second one came from my water blessing ceremony at Angkor Wat.
I was extremely surprised that I found my moment of peace on a day I was quite pissed with God. I waited for Angkor Wat, Thom and the other temples for a while, took the trip only to see the infamous sunrise. Yet what greeted me was heavy rain and grey clouds.
I was upset, I was carrying an umbrella and my brand new DSLR and trying to balance. I did miss the sunrise, but the minute I entered Angkor Wat temple I decided not to care about it anymore. And then suddenly the old monuments in front of me had a different charm in that wet and gloomy weather.
As I was saying, once I got passed the rain I walked through the temple trying to discover a history similar to ours. The guide I wasted money on was trying to narrate stories to me and it became a situation where I ended up correcting Hindu facts and history. So I basically ended up giving him money to help me with my camera bag and umbrella.
But I was positive. Which is very difficult for a cynical person like me. This day in 2017 stood out for me cause it was one of those rare days that things were against me and yet I was trying to see the silver lining.
So while I strolled around the area and was about to leave to visit the other two temples, Angkor Thom and Praer Khan. I came across this small stupa where the monk was doing water blessings. I'm not a religious person. Yet at that moment I realized I needed that.
I needed to sit there for those few seconds and let the monk sprinkle that holy water on me. I felt like I needed it at that moment. I felt like it would help me heal. It might just be in my head. While travelling alone, living alone, and just being alone in general we tend to lost. As the monk tied the thread on my wrist I wondered if it would bring me good luck.
Honestly I don't know if it did. All I know is that in that moment a little bit of faith helped me.
So as I get myself ready for 2018 and all the things its supposed to bring me, the hope and the prayers I take along with me. The same prayers I have been carrying along for years. The same hope that makes me believe that life might just turn out good.
2018, I don't know what to expect from you. I don't know what I am meant to do or be. I don't know who I am meant to be. But I just hope that its good. Good, is all I can ask.
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