Blog - Page 5 of 16 - Living Lotus Therapy®

Never Colonized, But Never Untouched

When people talk about colonialism in Southeast Asia, they often mention the British in Burma and Malaysia, or the French in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. But Thailand, then known as Siam, is usually held up as the exception: the one country in the region that was never colonized. I used to take pride in that sentence. I still do, in a way. But as I’ve grown personally, professionally, and politically, I’ve started to see the complexity behind it. Because while Thailand was never colonized in the traditional sense, it has never been untouched by the forces of colonialism.

And maybe that’s why I feel so much about it.

A Balloon and the Weight of the American Dream

A Mother’s Day and AANHPI Heritage Month Reflection on Immigration, Family, and Resilience

Arriving in America with Nothing but Each Other

When my mom and I arrived in the United States, we didn’t have a soft landing. My aunt was supposed to pick us up from the airport, but she was late. My mom didn’t speak English. She was holding the weight of immigration and motherhood in a brand new country. And I was having a meltdown over a balloon.

It was one of those shiny foil balloons at an airport gift shop. I was four years old and overwhelmed from a 17-18 hour plane ride. It cost twenty dollars, and my mom didn’t have twenty dollars. I cried, loudly and dramatically, in the middle of a strange place while she tried to calm me down and hold herself together at the same time.

That story stuck with us. It’s not just about the balloon. It was the moment we arrived, physically and emotionally. It captured the helplessness she felt, and the way that survival in a new country often looks like saying no to things you wish you could say yes to. A scared young mom and her small child, already feeling the weight of survival in a place that didn’t make space for either of us. That moment was one of many.

No Rules, Just Connection

May the Fourth be with us, always.

When you’re neurodivergent, dating can feel a little like trying to play a video game without the tutorial. You pick up the controller, press some buttons, and see what happens.

Sometimes you get it right.
Sometimes you have to try again.
And again.
And again.

But every time, you learn a little more about how the game works—and about what kind of player you are.

I’m AuDHD, and my partner is also neurodivergent.
And if there’s one thing we’ve learned in our relationship, it’s this:

Connection doesn’t always follow the rules.

In fact, in our house, we have a saying: “no rules.”
Because real connection isn’t about doing what you’re supposed to do or feel.

It’s about unlearning all the ways you thought you had to be, and finding what actually makes you happy.