Like all the other tourists in Thailand we rented a fleet of scooters. I have a motorcycle license and I’ve been riding for years. I’m the exception. Most foreigners have more experience brushing their teeth than driving a scooter. That lack of experience is fine, right up until it isn’t.

Omri was only going a few miles an hour when his front tire dug into a bit of sand. He somersaulted over the handlebars, came down hard on his hand and broke his collarbone. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the local hospital, in great pain. He relayed the story when we visited him.

You know, it was so painful that I had to laugh. There was nothing else to do. I could either try to shut it out and go deeper into my unconsciousness, or I could stay with it and be conscious. I stayed with it and used the pain to be present. It sounds funny but that’s just what I was thinking about.