The Thought of Forever (or Five Minutes)
2019 ----> 2020 New Years Day. I stepped off the plane and wearily made my way off of the plane from Chiang Mai. I hadn't slept at all the night before, due to the New Year's Eve festivities, and was eager to return to my own bed. But I still had a ways to go: from Bangkok, a four hour bus ride, followed by a half hour van ride, followed by a twenty minute taxi ride with a cranky driver was between me and rest. Out of the boarding bridge, the vast windows of Suvarnabhumi airport reveal its geometric garden planted just outside. Its bushes grow in the shape of lotuses, its grass trimmed in a lighter kelly green. It is encircled by the shark-fin arches of the terminal. It's sort of an ironic sight: amidst the chaos of angry metal, flight delays, and crying babies, the garden remains empty and tranquil. A thought occured to me that slowed my hurried pace a bit: I was here one year ago. I have lived in T