สวัสดี ~ Hello from Thailand: How My Someday Dream Materialized Today

Sà-wàt-dii! Hello from Thailand!

Have you ever had life suddenly shake things up so dramatically you barely remember which way is up?

Yeah, that just happened to me.

I'd wrapped up my summer vacations and was settling into my new autumn routine, decidedly not thinking about traveling. And then things went sideways.

Without going into too much detail of my personal upheaval, let's just say this was one of those let's-turn-lemons-to-lemonade moments. So I booked a flight.

One week later, I woke up from a nap somewhere over the Pacific Ocean and thought, Thailand? Why the heck am I going to Thailand right now? I was scared and confused and thought this was possibly a horrible mistake.

But here's the thing. I've been talking about traveling the world while working remotely for years. Yet there was always some very logical reason why it wouldn't work.

It was a someday dream.

But suddenly, I realized that moving to Thailand for a month was not only possible but would also solve several problems at once. So . . . here I am.

And how has it been so far? Overall good with a sprinkling of great and one maybe disaster.

I spent a few days in Bangkok overcoming culture shock and generally questioning my life choices while learning lots of valuable lessons.

For instance, I learned that there's a super simple fix to the problem of an AC that won't turn on in an excruciatingly hot hotel room. It's called a remote. Yes, there may have been a highly trained engineer who taught me this.

And that when someone tells you, "Order online, man" in response to your question about how to order food delivery, they aren't being flippant. They're just telling you to use the app called Line Man.

Most importantly, I learned that maybe it's best to not follow up one rash decision to fly to the opposite side of the world with another equally hasty decision to immediately book a return flight, especially after traveling for 30 hours.

So I stayed and got some sleep. After making my way to Phuket, I am now feeling at peace in my new neighborhood.

I live in a beautiful bungalow surrounded by lush green trees. Incense wafts through the air, bringing a sense of calm. I can walk to the beach and market, as well as a yoga studio and massage place I'm excited to check out.

Turns out I love solo traveling. I've gotten space from the turmoil that led me here. And I'm slowly starting to tune into my inner voice and see things a little clearer.

That one maybe disaster?

I discovered yesterday that I lost my notebook. The one with all my work notes, stories, and poems I've written over the past few months.

What bothers me the most is I have no idea when I lost it. If any of you dear readers from Denver, Seattle, Seoul, Bangkok, or Phuket have seen a black and white composition notebook, please let me know!

But I also wonder if perhaps this is a gift. I've literally lost my recipe for where to start. Which means I guess it's time to create a new one. From scratch. And that sounds like lemonade to me.

So, my dear reader, what is your someday dream? And what would you do if your life got so shaken up that all your excuses melted away?

Maybe you're withering away in a boring day job telling yourself you'll find a new position someday. Or your relationship is in a rut so you convince yourself that someday you'll take it to the next level. Or perhaps you've always dreamed of deep sea diving but there are oh so many reasons to wait until someday to take that step.

What if your dream was actually closer than you think? What if someday was today?