A toddler boy became the focus of my last day before getting to Kep. He led to some healthy and proactive existential angst within my writers retreat. On Tuesday in Phnom Penh I did my usual errands of pay my phone bill and get cash out but also some unusual errands such as printing some hard copy photos and booking tickets.
The toddler was nearby an enormous high school in centre of city. I was walking by looking forward to a lime juice or similar once at café near guesthouse. He caught my eye as he played in a filthy gutter, naked, with his ‘car’. All that remained of the toy car was the black chassis and one single wheel. There was no sedan part of his toy. Yet he played with the ‘brmmm, brmmm’ motor noises and swung his car about enthusiastically.
How privileged am I to have this time and budget for my dream of writing. There is no answer to this rhetorical question. There is such sadness everywhere, not just on that street in Cambodia. Everyday I am here in this location to rest and write I am grateful for where I was born, the family, education and opportunity given to me. It could have been me who was ……..
Instead I am here in this exotic location immersing myself in this existential moment
