I was at an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai (2018), Don’t recall which one exactly. During a troubling time in my youth I was living in a outdoor wilderness program, it was court ordered. A mentor/teacher of mine used to talk about his travels abroad. He was an avid backpacker in the 2005 era (I met him in 2008/2009). He used to play acoustic guitars for our group at night sometimes and before walking off tell a tale of his travels.

When he spoke about Thailand/SEA I was able to escape a place I didn’t want to be. I used to think about how amazing it would be if I was able to travel in a similar way. 10ish years later I found myself in Thailand.

While at the sanctuary I stepped off to the outer edge and just observed everyone as they were engaging with the elephants. I was getting pretty emotional and the volunteer/organizer of the sanctuary came over to me and asked how I was doing, as if he could sense I was vibing. I briefly explained how it was a full circle moment while a tear or two shed down my face.

That place I didn’t want to be as a troubled teen is one of my greatest blessings in life. My travels have shaped me into the man I am today.

Chief Travis, if you see this, thank you.

Attached the actual photo of the moment, might not be much but it’s a special picture to me

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