Lilly on the beach

A Norwegian girl, Lilly, with black curly hair has been coming by while I sat by the beach getting my foot massage (one step removed from another oil massage), pedicure, and manicure. She taught the Thai ladies and I how to say “fly” in Norwegian as she pointed to the flies that landed on my calf. “Flu-wa”! She said several times, slowly, correcting our pronunciations. Staff here on the resort told me that they have been here for the past two to three weeks so most of the staff knew her and adore her. They come here every year from Norway and this was her last day this year… I tried teaching her my name and the word “fly” in English, but she seems to have little interest. The staff tried to get a kiss from her but she refused. I asked her how to say kiss, she said, “suss”. Mind you, that she doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak a word of Norwegian (other than flu-wa) she understood what I was asking and taught us the word – thanks to the international language of pucker the lips.

Lilly and I are the lucky ones that get to sit by the ocean, listen to the wave splashing on the shore, while getting our nails painted and foot massaged. As I look over the general direction where her parents were, the ocean looked so calm, the grass and hills looked so green, the palm trees leaned so perfectly, and everything so peaceful and relaxed… We are the lucky ones that get to come here and enjoy this beautiful nature while being tended and cared for. We are lucky in the sense that we were born to the “right” places, the “right” time, and with the “right” parents. One can argue that Lilly at her young age get to enjoy the resorts and services for weeks every year, she’s luckier than I am. However, I am not going to rank our good fortune or with the slightest intention to minimize how lucky I get to spend this kind of time on this very beach.

This is the first time in a long time that I felt this relaxed. Perhaps, the last time, was six years ago at the same place here in Ko Samed. Since we arrived Thailand, I have been eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, thinking, and writing. All of which brings out the best of me.

Without the worries of work, career, the day-to-day productivity that’s required of me, I am able to enjoy thinking, solitude, and best of all - myself. It must be the indulgence of getting a massage under the palm trees and shade, with the sea breeze and sound of the waves gently tapping my face that I finally forgot about the worries of my modern life and found some peace, inner peace.

I looked over. Lilly was fast asleep, sunken in her massage chair, after being pampered on this peaceful and luxurious heaven on earth.