I read Phalkun's posting , Khmer blogger from Auckland NZ on the quote of nature's simplicity at P+K Random Stuffs . After the reading, I was prompted to reminisced to my child age where I had experienced my version of simplicity.
Fifteen or more years ago I could go back to during my child age of 7 or 8 years old at Svay Rieng province, Cambodia, which is the birthplace of my grandparents, parents and me. At the time and place, my parents owned some patches of rice paddy.
As a small boy of 8 years old, I was at my height of curiosities. I love to read. I first learned to read from my mother. I remember the first book she read to me was from “Reung Preng Ni-tean Khmer” or Stories of Khmer Folklore and Legend. There were stories of Wise Rabbit, Cunning Coyote and Gullible Tiger.
I was not much of my parents’ helper. While my parents were wet and dirty in the rice paddy planted the new rice shoots into the muddy soil (Khmer: stoong srov), I kept myself dry on the “plieu sre” –(the raised dirt between the rice paddies) with books in my arms. I remember I read the stories under the verdant, lush shade of an aged tamarind tree that grows between rice paddies, while tended to my parents’ pair of water buffaloes. More than one occasions, our buffalos wandered to the smaller hill right next to it. I then would followed them and changed my sitting to under the group of "deurm tnaut" sugar palms; still clutched to books and so absorbed to my readings.
Not a care in the world. This was my simpleness of life as I remember when I was an 8 year old boy.
Please forgive my writing. Grammar, choice of words and spellings may not look right. Writing English is not easy for me. So frequent I'm still consulting to the English dictionary on every word I'm not sure of.
And thanks for reading my blog.
Thom.
Cambodia: The cone hat (“moork doorn” in Khmer) ruins the picture perfect of morning rowing to school. 
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