The Current State of Jay

Currently I’m loving...

The lush plant life of Indonesia.
I am a huge plant lover. Back home, before our move, I had 30 houseplants. I had to give them all away when we left Portland. However when we get back, and I start to rebuild my urban jungle, I will approach my plant babies with much more respect than I had previously. So much of the flora that I had previously owned as houseplants are outdoor plants here. Snake plants, dumb cane, devil’s backbone, etc. They all suffered a bit in our apartment and no amount of positive talking to them would help. I now know it’s because I was depriving them of the humidity they love so much. Future plant babies, I promise to work harder to give you a more humid home.

The way that the Balinese locals smile, all the time and at everyone.
I'm a big believer that everyone is beautiful when they smile. Like real, genuine smiles. It's like when a child smiles at you and you can't help but smile back. It's infectious. It makes you feel happy and safe, if only for that few precious moments. That's how the people of Bali are. They all smile at you in the most beautiful and warming way. No matter their age or gender either. Everyone smiles at everyone. One of our drivers explained it to us like this: "Our parents taught us that it's important to give to everyone because we are all equal. And when you don't have money or things to give, you can always give a smile. It's makes the other person's cup go from empty to full. And then that in return, fills your cup. And that is love." 

My tanned skin.
As a kid, I used to spend a lot of time outdoors during the summer. Swimming at our community pool, bike riding around the neighborhood, playing in the yard. Every summer, I’d get the most amazing tan. One summer in particular, my skin got so beautifully golden brown and now after 10 days in Indonesia, my glow has returned. I can only imagine how dark I’ll be after 6 months.

Coffee Bali.
It’s strong. Like the strongest coffee I’ve ever had. Also it’s instant. Just add hot water, some sugar and with a little twirl of the spoon, a magic caffeinated elixir appears.

The bird soundtrack that’s constantly playing.
It’s beautiful, tropical, and is so much more relaxing than car horns, police sirens and construction.

Daily swimming.
Either in a pool or the ocean. I mean, the pools have more relaxing only cause the ocean’s current can feel a bit overwhelming, but overall, I relish my daily swim. It’s cleansing, calming, and centering. There’s a huge amount of nostalgia around swimming for me cause I did it so much as a kid. I still have to plug my nose when I go underwater, just like when I was a kid. It makes me want to take lessons again when I get back home and become a stronger swimmer.

Currently I’m missing…

First world luxuries.
Clean water coming out of the tap. Skincare products. A shower that is separated from the toilet by a tub and doesn’t soak the entire bathroom after used. A washing machine. Access to a grocery store that has an excessive amount of options. Public restrooms that have a toilet seat (or even a toilet in general), as well as toilet paper, hand soap, and paper towels, and not having to pay a required “donation” to use it. Streaming video like Netflix and Hulu. Fast internet. Endless varieties of cuisine that are readily available any time or day or the week. Free will. Yes, I am missing these things, so much so that it makes me feel guilty. So I’m trying to reframe my thinking about them. Because these luxuries are just that. Luxuries. They are everyday occurrence in the US, things you don’t even question or say thank you for. Expect a longer post on this soon but just understand that we all, including myself, need to show some more gratitude. #firstworldproblems is an easy joke to make when you live in a First World. When your water is clean and you have the opportunity to work your way out of the class level you were born into and you can travel for 6 months and you can’t be banished from your family and your home forever and forced to live in exile. So tonight when you lay down to go to sleep in your home, no matter the size or however messy, no matter how many bills you have to pay, or hard life seems, just say a little thank you to the universe. Because you are lucky and blessed and in this life, you drew one of the longer sticks.

Herbal tea.
Yes, you could include this as a first world luxury but honestly, herbal tea is important to me. It’s a life source for me. Calms me, energizes me, heals me. In my book, there is nothing that a cup of hot steeping herbs can’t at least help to fix. I have a feeling though that once I get over to Thailand and Vietnam, tea might make it’s way back into my life.

Unclean shower water.
Let me specify. Our bungalow on Gili Meno has ocean water coming out of the shower and the sink tap, which sounds nice in theory but makes it very hard to feel clean. Looking forward to showering in water that is not clean enough for me to drink when we get back over to Bali.

Things I’m not loving…

Bug bites.
No one likes bug bites. There’s no way to love them. They’re annoying. They’re itchy. There's a high chance they could be the way that you get a really horrible disease. ‘nuff said.

Scary looking stray dogs in Bali.
They make me regret not getting that rabies shot that I couldn’t afford. Thankfully though, they seem to keep to themselves. Still, I try to keep my distance as much as possible.

Public restrooms.
After my time in SE Asia, I need to constantly remind myself to never complain about the state of a public restroom in the US ever again. It could be SOOOOO much worse. Like for realz. So much worse.

So our lesson of the day: Smile and say thank you.
Peace + Love!
- Jay