Oh it’s been a good day.
In addition to it being, you know, FRIDAY, a new t-shirt I ordered last week finally arrived in the mail.
Yup, that’s the Thailand flag. My second-favorite country after MURICA (actually, it’s the only other country I’ve actually been to, besides The Bahamas and the Tokyo airport).
I just hope the caption actually translates as “Thailand”, rather than something like, oh, “idiot”.
Thailand has, and always will, occupy a special place in my heart. My parents adopted my two younger brothers, Nathan (Nitipon) and Simon (Suriya), from there when I was eight and twelve, respectively.
I had always wanted to not be the only child, so rather than try to create another brat like myself, Mom and Dad decided to go the adoption route.
I mean, I don’t THINK I was so spoiled to the point that my parents said “Oh Zach, of course we’ll get you some siblings, but only because you asked!”
At least, I hope not. That’s a whole new level of spoiled that would make Veruca Salt blush.
And Thailand, oh my lord, Thailand.
What a beautiful, humble, friendly nation of people.
And HOT. Holy sweet Jesus’s five loaves of bread and two fish was it HOT!
But it was the adventure(s) of a lifetime for my parents and I.
I got ride in a longboat AND on an elephant (which I feel bad about now, considering all the stories I’ve heard about some of those elephants are treated).
I could never fully put into words what my experiences there did for me. Not without writing a book on the subject, anyway (maybe?).
I will tell you this:
If you’re ever having a shitty day, just remember that you COULD be a three-year-old girl sitting on the sidewalk in Bangkok, cradling a wooden bowl with the hope that someone might toss you a few Baht (Thai currency).
Or you COULD be a young boy bathing naked in the canal outside the city, thankful just to have a ramshackle roof over your head.
Or you COULD have…no parents.
Seeing that sort of poverty wakes you up. It reminds you of how good you have it.
Now I’m not trying be all look-at-me-I’m-such-a-great-person-because-my-siblings-are-adopted or anything like that.
But I’m thankful every day that we adopted Nate and Simon.
And I wish more people would adopt (it doesn’t help that it’s SO MUCH WORK to do it, I will say).
There are millions of kids out there could use a loving home, a loving family to call their own.
Oh, and if you ever get a chance, do yourself a favor and take a trip to Thailand.
It’s the shit.
yonkaholic 