Unraveling the Mystery of a Lost Day in Chiang Mai
Kevin and I were sitting at our favorite coffee shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand, reflecting back on our week and trying hard to account for a “lost day.” Having encountered many such days during our travels, this week felt particularly irksome. We haven’t been able to sightsee here as much as we would like and we’ve been trying to figure out why and how our week got away from us.
It’s Sunday, but how did we lose a day? Between doctor appointments, essential shopping—Kevin finally agreed to buy sandals—and a mix of work and exploration, Tuesday seemed to vanish unexpectedly. We spent an inordinate amount of time puzzling through how Tuesday got vaporized. We finally figured it out, but the solution was disheartening, eye opening, and empowering.
Every health article we’ve ever read has underscored the importance of prioritizing sleep, a principle we firmly understand. But knowing and doing can be miles apart. We don’t typically turn on a morning alarm unless we have an activity or a travel day. So it may mean that we sleep a little longer than when we had full-time jobs. But we never sleep past seven or so, so we aren’t frittering the day away by snoozing. We only had to do some surface digging to find the first pocket of lost time: mindlessly scrolling through our phones when we first wake up. Our mornings involve reading comments on our YouTube episodes, checking emails, and doom scrolling through trivial news. We shower, take care of all our hygiene requirements, and grab food and coffee.
We don’t begrudge ourselves time at breakfast because it’s when we connect and talk about our plans for the day or get an overview of the week, resolve some of the myriad minor questions we need to sync about regarding travel, discuss the news or interesting articles we’ve read. So we understand that an hour or more may slip by while we’re connecting with each other. This time is some of the most well-spent time in our day.
We walk back to our Airbnb and dive into our work on the days we don’t have activities scheduled. We sometimes get derailed by responding to comments and emails or a casual question from the other person about a flight or an unresolved travel decision. Our best-laid plans can easily short circuit.
From the outside looking in, our lives can look pretty boring while we’re face down in creative work, yet this work is enriching, fulfilling, and ignites a spark in us—an extraordinary feeling in our “retirement.” The quotes around retirement are because people who aren’t retired—or maybe even the people who are—have a certain idea of what it’s supposed to look like, when it’s actually allowed to be anything we want it to be. It's a daily reminder we give ourselves to cherish this freedom.
We try to take a long midday walk and get some exercise, but it depends on where we are. Not all cities are equally walkable due to broken or missing sidewalks, having to zig-zag between motorbikes, or traverse unpaved roads. But in the places where extensive walking is possible, we may wait until the sun is fading and the heat isn’t quite as broiling. Our walk yesterday was steaming hot and we hit a few dead ends, but that’s the point of wandering. It’s not always necessary for us to have a destination in mind. Afterwards, we stopped and picked up refreshing smoothies, which were a great way to cool down and super charge our energy.
It’s back to focused work for a few more hours with clearer heads before starting dinner, or finding somewhere that strikes our fancy to eat out. In more economical cities like Chiang Mai, we haven’t had to cook or wash dishes, and that is a nice reprieve and a gift of free time. Although it’s luxurious at times, figuring out where to eat and what to eat when there is new cuisine everywhere and varying degrees of hygiene can also be tiresome. Typically on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays our Youtube deadline looms large overhead, so we aren’t as adventurous as we may be on other days. We try to sample new restaurants and foods on days where we have a little more mental energy because we usually come back and are heads down for a bit more time before some Italian learning and then bed. We’ve heard immediately before sleep is one of the best times to learn a new language because your subconscious mind can work its magic more effectively.
But if it’s any of the other days and sightseeing doesn’t overflow through mealtime, we go for another relaxing stroll. These are fun days where we can decompress with a relaxing meal and an occasional glass of wine. This for sure is a movie night.
So our “lost” days aren’t so much lost as they are consumed by chunks of hours spent on creative work, activities, and simply enjoying life. There are worse ways to lose something.