On islands, there are often fire shows — performers light flames on staffs or poi and spin them around their bodies. It creates something beautiful and entertaining for the audience.

Today, I had the chance to go to the beach with Peem’s family, and the hotel we were staying at happened to have a fire show. So we stopped to watch.

You could see how hot it was for the performers. They must have been enduring intense heat the entire time.

It made me think — sometimes beauty is built upon discomfort. Behind something visually stunning, there is often hidden pain.