Monday Postcard #96 – Appreciating the Little Things
When Mondays start all grey, it is tempting to feel tired and maybe even a bit grumpy. But I decided to beat Bangkok’s gloomy weather and head out on a little adventure. This morning my destination was Lumphini Park.
Bangkok is not necessarily well-known for being a very green city. But there are some nice parks which are great to explore especially now in the cooler season. In Bangkok’s morning traffic, it usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour (or even longer) to head to the park from the Sukhumvit side. This morning, the driver was as motivated as I was and beat the traffic like there was no tomorrow. In 20 minutes we reached the destination. “Shortcut”, he said with a big smile. Obviously he was very proud of his early morning achievement.
For quite some time I had planned to explore Lumphini Park. I had heard it was a beautiful place with nice architecture and artworks. Furthermore, if you are lucky, you may spot a monitor lizard. I mainly went to explore the park itself. I was told that the lizards had disappeared. After a big flood some time ago, they started breeding in the park and became a nuisance and were, hence, moved to some other place.
I strolled through the park while groups of runners passed by. Retirees met up to have breakfast in the park together. Some did their morning exercise while others exchanged the latest gossip. I managed to take some pretty pictures which I will share with you on Wednesday in a new blog post.
At the Chinese pagoda right by the lakeshore I focused on capturing the architectural details with the lake in the background. Suddenly, I heard something move right next to me. I looked to my side and there it was – a giant lizard had been sitting there and watched me take pictures.
Completely startled at first, I tried to pull myself together and take a picture. The lizard was about 1.5 metres big and right next to me. I really did not expect to get to see one – especially not this close! In contrast to my excitement, the lizard was completely unimpressed by my presence, turned around and slowly walked towards the shore. It slid into the water and swam away.
I spent about an hour in the park and managed to spot five lizards in total. None came as close as the first one. But still it was a really spectacular start of the day.
This morning showed me how important it is to appreciate the little things. It is easy to get caught up in complaints about small things like the weather or the traffic. But life is just easier, more beautiful and way more exciting if we focus on the positive – whether it is a smile by a stranger or an unexpected encounter with a giant lizard.
Appreciate the little things this week!