Behind the Design

By Brent D Smith
Chanintr Living's chief marketing officer
Published on March 27, 2009

joy in rediscovering the Greening of your Soul

If life has taught me anything, it's that I need to be near nature at least once a week: trees, grass and water replenish my soul from the previous week and rejuvenate me for the week ahead. Growing up in the US state of Iowa, I took it for granted that everyone had trees and green grass, and somewhere along the way, I forgot about this simple thing. I took nature for granted.

I spent 12 years living in Tokyo, and I never really noticed a tree or green grass. Occasionally, I would see a bonsai tree on someone's balcony and comment about how cute it was. Of course there are parks in Tokyo, but somehow I got caught up in the corporate life and stopped thinking about those "luxuries" and how they could truly heal a person.

After living in Bangkok for nearly three years and having recently moved to a new home on Soi Saladaeng, I've finally rediscovered nature. What a joy to have Lumpini Park at my doorstep every weekend! Bangkok, what a treasure you have!

It is a real treat to walk in the park in the early morning as the sun is coming up and hear the birds, mixed with Chinese music coming from what sounds like transistor radios as women diligently pursue their exercises with bright red fans. There are groups of elderly men huddled around mah jong tables, erupting with occasional laughter, and throngs of joggers shuffling and panting around the park before the Thai sun becomes dangerously intense. This is life in the city of angels.

At the weekend, while riding my bike in Lumpini, I noticed families using the park, with little children screaming with delight as they ran across the large expanses of green lawn. Oh, what a luxury! And I watched families take the swan boats out for a paddle around the pond. What happiness!

There's a small island in the middle of the park, a literal oasis into which most people never venture. Here you can see groups of friends doing yoga together, or a tai chi master with his pupils methodically going through their movements. There are also occasional couples out for a romantic picnic on the grassy banks of the pond. Isn't this what life is all about? Yet these small moments of luxury cost absolutely nothing.

So I look forward to another weekend of riding my bike in Lumpini Park. I look forward to seeing the face of the policeman who took my bike for a spin and declared it a Rolls-Royce, and the foreigner who always welcomes me with a "good morning" as he jogs by, and my Thai "friends" who ride their bikes religiously every morning and always invite me to join them.

Yes, this is what life is about: sharing and caring and welcoming people into your community, even if you know neither their name nor from where they came.

Behind the Design

joy in rediscovering the Greening of your Soul

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