A world with no king

We the collected Earharts are gathered around the common working area of the Brick Space coworking space in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is the city preview, where we learn about this month’s language, currency, politics, and tourist destinations. We learn seemingly random, yet important facts.

I was about to call them trivia. They are not trivial.

King Rama of Thailand, 9th of his name, died on the 13th of October, 2016. His fame, popularity, and legacy in Thailand is massive. Having reigned (with varying constitutional limitations) for over 70 years, he managed to become one of Thailand’s most beloved monarchs. He accomplished an astonishingly large number of humanitarian and public works projects. He composed music, held a patent, and sailed boats.

He built up the world that he lived in.

Miao, the Remote Year Operations Manager for Chiang Mai, stands forward to answer the question — why is the mourning of the king’s death so important? It’s been very nearly a year since he died. Why is it still such a big deal?

As she talks about the mourning and funeral ceremonies, she breaks down with emotion. She apologizes and describes why the late king was so important to her and to the people of Thailand. He was beloved. He was a good person. He did good things and cared greatly for the people of Thailand.

If I could speak to the late king, I would ask him, how did you gain such a reputation? How did you gain a reputation that brings a woman to tears as she tells of your life and death? She has never met you, I think.

How do I leave a legacy like that?

How do I find my way to a life that is fulfilling to me and impactful to others?

Thailand has a new king now. But there is a fear that much of the good work that the late king did will be undone.

Wending my way through the Sunday night market in the downtown “old quarter” area of Chiang Mai, I pause at a stall that sells silken scarves. They are finely woven and beautifully died.

“How much for this one?” I ask, pointing at a deep red scarf.

“150,” the woman replies. 150 baht is about 5 US dollars.

I take up the scarf and feel the material. It is very thin; beautiful — but not easy to take care of. If I bought this scarf, I wouldn’t wear it often for fear of damaging it.

“It’s very pretty,” I say. “But I can’t buy it. I can only buy things that are easy to wash and easy to take care of. With my lifestyle, I think this scarf wouldn’t last very long. I’m sorry.”

I’m not sure if the woman understands me. But she nods and smiles as I hand the scarf back to her.

The truth is, the digital nomad lifestyle is difficult to maintain. You have to be careful to buy things that are easy to pack and travel with. Your clothes have to serve multiple purposes and be machine washable at any setting. Your electronics have to be lightweight and long-lived. You have to be careful what you buy in the streets of Hanoi or Chiang Mai because you need things that are well-made and that will last.

Sometimes you buy something that will be worth a few brief nights of fun anyway.

But you learn to look for functional beauty.

I turn away from the scarves and back towards my companions for the evening. We wander to the edge of the market and purchase crepes with bananas which are probably not authentic Thai, but which taste delicious.

It’s 2:20am in the common working area of the Brick Space coworking space. All but one of my companions have packed up their laptops and gone back to their apartments. I’m working into the wee hours to finish this blog post.

I haven’t been here long. But the space feels comfortable and just a bit familiar.

I’m doing work that’s challenging but exciting — writing.

And I’m satisfied with the choices that led me here. I want to be here, now, doing what I’m doing.

I hope that this is the way towards a life that is fulfilling and impactful.

Tomorrow it’s back to the grind of the night shift. But there’s a functional beauty in that, too, where we tap away at our laptops together in brief staccatos and we build up our little worlds together, or at least try to keep them from falling apart.

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