Temple Bells and Papaya Trees

A friend traveling in Ubud right now is sending us a collection of small brass temple bells she bought at a Theravada monastery off the beaten Indonesian path. I hadn’t known about these handmade bells, but I’ve always been familiar with their sound. At the Buddhist temples I’ve visited, one could always hear their gentle, sweet ringing.

In Buddhism, large temple bells are hung to protect monks from evil spirits, to call followers to prayer, and to announce meal and rest times. But the small brass bells - hung in groups from trees and rafters and ringing in the wind – function as art, and are beautiful and melodious.

It never occurred to me that the good monks would eventually know that they could help support themselves by making what laypeople like myself would like – some of that beauty and blessing around our own homes. I’m glad they’re able to do this.

Looking forward to that parcel arriving from Ubud. I’m indebted to my friend for thinking of us. Thank you Ek and khwam rak!

This week, we purchased a young papaya tree we hope will do well in our gardens this summer. Last year’s papaya tree was big and strong until it was brought indoors in October, where it slowly started to die. A complete heartbreaker.

The papaya we chose this year is a self-pollinating Thai heirloom variety called Khak-dam, also known as the 'Carica' papaya. A mature Khak-dam tree stands slightly smaller than other varieties, but the fruit can reach 20 inches long. The papayas are oblong with sweet, deep red flesh. By all reports, it can produce fruit in its second year of life. And it’s reportedly a big producer.

While I know full well that this new tree could do great this summer, only to die in winter, I’m hoping I learned something from last years’ experience. I’ll stop feedings in late August, and prepare the tree for rest. Instead of bringing it indoors all at once in autumn, I’ll acclimate it to the indoors, just as I acclimate indoor plants to the outdoors in spring.

This new papaya variety may have some special needs of its own that I don’t yet know about, but I’ll spend summer being mindful of how it responds to the treatment it’s getting. I don’t like it when plants die in my care. Where do the plant spirits go?

I renewed my passport, and yesterday my new passport book arrived. Hats off to the U.S. Department of State, which has seriously streamlined the process of renewing your passport. I got my first passport when I was 18 and living in New York City, and I remember all too well standing in line for hours at the consulate. Renewals were handwritten back then, and if you made one tiny mistake on the form, you had to rip it up and get another one (aka standing in another line for hours). It was catastrophically awful.

My renewal 10 years later in Connecticut wasn’t much better. But now, you can fill out your renewal form online, grab your birth certificate and photo (and your wallet of course), and go the post office where, for a fee, they’ll process and submit your application. It only took two weeks for my passport to arrive. I don’t know if applying for a passport for the first time is as easy as renewing an already existing one like mine.

My husband has never had a passport. It’s hard to fathom. But this is a guy who didn’t have the good fortune I did. My parents wanted their only daughter to travel and learn. They knew travel would feed my mind and spirit in ways a couple of graduate degrees never could. 

My husband and I are from opposite ends of the spectrum in this regard. In the community my husband was raised, a boy went to work in some industrial or mechanical job right after high school, then married and had children, all before he was just 30 years old. 

And while those experiences may be of purpose, there’s no doubt that pressures of employment, marriage, and children early in life are going to cancel out any chances you had for world travel, education, new understandings, personal development, and self-awareness.

So yesterday, I started the passport form work for my husband. He didn’t get the chances I had, but in the spirit of better-late-than-never, it’s time he got some. Last night, we talked about where he would like to travel for his first venture out of the country. He’s thinking palm trees and trade winds. Then he mentioned Amsterdam.

This leads me to believe that he’s pretty flexible about all this, which is good. I think his first journey off U.S. soil should be an easy one: a week or less, where English is spoken, and where he’ll feel safe and comfortable. I have my work cut out for me, but this is happy work. I love the big noob so much.

Barbie xo