A Special Recorded Version of The Life Map and the Passing of a Friend

Reverand Rob Applegate passed away on March 17th, 2020. He will be remembered as a beloved leader figure in communities around the world, particularly in San Diego, Shanghai, and where he was laid to rest, in Chiang Mai. He was a versatile organizer with pursuits in business, community building, the arts, and spirituality, and upon his move to Thailand he was in the process of establishing Open Heart Home, an event space for community projects, meetings and gatherings of all kinds.

Rob moved into my neighborhood of Wat Ket as I was moving out of my home of three years. Without knowing me, he offered to keep over half of my belongings in storage at his home. He did this for months while I was away from Chiang Mai. I had a hunch that, although I wouldn’t likely move back to the same neighborhood, we would still become closer. It was shocking and disheartening to find when I returned to Chiang Mai that he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, given only several months to live by his physicians.

To that point, I had never asked someone if they had wanted a Life Map. I had strongly believed that they were for only those who made it clear that they wanted one themselves. But ever since he had so graciously offered to take in my belongings, I wanted to do something for him in return. We discussed the idea of not only a Life Map, but also of recording in a podcast format, so that he and his partner Amal may have access to the recording afterwards. On the day of the recording, held in mid February about a month before his eventual passing, we discussed a wide range of topics from a life well lived. The suffocating smog of the burning season and the incinerating heat of summer had taken their grip on Chiang Mai, but inside Rob’s study, well lit with floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views of his garden, there was an air of tranquility and resoluteness, as though the afternoon could go on indefinitely.

I thank him for his time, openness, generosity, and candidness at a time of great struggle for him and his loved ones. He will be missed.