Sunrise in Phuket, Thailand (March 16, 2026)
There is a quite reverence as we witness the sun rising.
Deep gratitude for today begins with a beautiful sunrise
For the past several days, Elena and I have ventured to the Rawai pier together to watch the most stunning sunrises. Every day is different in that there are different cloud formations, wind and visuals to play with. Sometimes it’s like watching pink cotton candy come to life in clouds.
Watching the clouds become pink cotton candy as the sun rises
And, of course, no picture can truly do justice to this magical experience. The show only lasts about 10 minutes from the “pre-show” where all the pink and light red colors paint the sky until the little ball begins to peak out over the mountain until the red sun begins to lose its red color in favor of the more common bright yellow which remains until the sun sets roughly 12 hours later.
All is dark and quite as the sun peaks out and begins to illuminate
This happens everywhere and can be witnessed by everyone. It’s just that when life is happening at the pace I’m used to, this isn’t part of my daily routine. Yes, it absolutely can be whenever I make it a priority. As it’s been rather rare, I’m really enjoying this special time in the morning with my wife of more than 25 years. There’s something really special about the two of us having this time together.
Elena + cotton candy sky just before the sun decides to join us ;-)
My father-in-law, Richard Knies recently fell and broke a few of his ribs. I share this here as it’s an important reminder of life’s impermanence. None of us know how long we get to spend on this planet. Elena is grappling with how long to continue this journey with me and when to return home to be closer to her parents and ready to pitch in and help out (as they have been doing for us since we moved to Port Washington in 2005).
Deeply appreciating THIS moment, right here, right now
What awakens inside of me is the deep desire to be fully present in each moment I have with my wife on this World Tour. I remember the first 4 months without her and how much I missed her. I loved having her join Violet and me in Italy in late October and then missed her again when she left Thailand the last time we were here together in mid-November.
Can I travel the world solo? Absolutely. Is it better with Elena? You bet. Is it even better with the whole family? Without a doubt. Both Violet and Will were telling us how much they appreciate us (totally unprompted). This came up as we were eating together and Will repeated something one of his friends said. “I can’t believe you have TWO great parents. I mean, most are lucky if they get one awesome parent, but to have two that are still married and love each other, that’s really rare.”
So true. That’s what I loved about meeting Connie and Dick Knies. They are now married more than 70 years together. Can you believe it? And still treat each other like newlyweds. They are twitterpated (to use a term from the movie Bambi). And so am I with Elena.
Sunrise selfie. Didn’t turn out like what WE were seeing, but that’s fine
I have come to believe that prayer is any form of quite reverence in which I give gratitude or receive the full blessing of my surroundings.
“…give us this day, our daily …”
Sunrise. This is my soul food. When I watch the magic and take in all the beauty of this world, I experience a deep sense of gratitude. I am so happy to be alive and well with the people I love most dearly. By being so close by and experiencing their own journey, I notice how this supports me in deepening my own daily practice.
