In the mornings at this Elephant Nature Park lots of things go on. The other morning in fact, I heard loud shuffling right outside our bathroom window. Surprisingly there was an elephant escapee eating the tree by our house while stepping on top of another, happy as can be.
More normally however, the elephants wake up to their breakfast given to them by the Mahouts, and the dogs who are resting at the clinic stretch their legs. Volunteers come and walk each one of them allowing the stroll to wake them from their sleepy minds too.
For a few hours a day, the road that leads to elephant park are scattered with dogs on leashes. Some people getting pulled, others doing the pulling from the stubborn muts who would rather sit in their cage all day then have a leash around their neck.
It’s my favorite time of day not only because we are starting it by doing something for other beings, but because there is a sense of companionship that comes from being with those animals and not needing to say a word. During this time the park has a consistent quiet and calming fog. It’s one of the few times I find it very easy to just be without thinking or processing what’s going on around me.
Dogs are inherently comforting, and this is a new lesson for me that I am grateful for.
Every day that I walk the dogs I see this man on his motorbike. In Thailand, this is not an uncommon thing as motorbikes are THE way everyone gets around regardless of age, class, or sex. However, this man was easier to notice as he always has a baby wrapped in blankets tied around this chest and he does not pass me just once, but several times.
Day after day, him and I smile at each other. Sometimes he would stop and raise the little baby's hand to greet me in the traditional Thai greeting “ Swa-dee Kup”. He is so warm, and I found myself looking forward to seeing him for the sense of connection he brought me even in such a foreign place. A reminder that humanity is giving in many ways if you are open to seeing it.
As I spent more and more of these walks enjoying the jungle around me and getting used to living at the park- I also got more time to observe him on his daily rides. One day I noticed him stopping many times. Every 50 meters at least and looking at something with his baby. He would slowly move up a little and suddenly stop again.
Curious as I am most days I turned my dog (Bubba) to go the other direction and try and see what he was seeing. At the first stop I found a fat caterpillar hanging from his string making his way back up to the tip tops of the tree. This caterpillar was green with tons of tiny little feet- quickly moving it’s body back and forth to get momentum for his long journey. I thought of how tired it was going to be when it finally reached the trees leaves that were so far away.
I continued to follow the man, and the next stop was a pocket of flowers. These flowers you can find all over the area where we live. They smell more beautiful than any flower I have ever smelled. They gently drop from the trees and lay perfectly where they land leaving their colors are bright and symmetric no matter what time of day.
I followed him for a few more stops. Each stop, he seems to slow down finding beauty in nature and exploring the organic magnificence all around with the baby in his arms. You may be wondering why he was doing this and why he rides up and down the roads? I was. Was it simply to be curious about the world?
Finally, one day I was out longer than usual giving dogs walks since the clinic was short on volunteers. This time I got to see him finish his ride and pull into his house. I noticed the little baby sleeping as I walked closer to him. He smiled as always and put his fingers to his lips to say the baby was finally asleep.
Every morning he did this ride with his child, to explore, to notice, and to be patient in providing that child with what it needed- even if for others it may seem far from convient. For the whole day, I felt a little overwhelmed by the mans capacity for love. I myself even longed for that kind of patience and love from adults when I was a youth. I was inspired and reminded.
I think many Dads never get enough credit for what they bring to the lives of their children. In South East Asia, and all over the world, I have seen so many Fathers (related or unrelated to the ones they protect and watch over) who build their children up every second they get. As myself and many of my friends are reaching 30 year old- we often discuss ideas of parenting and methods to creating a successful child. All of us thinking we have the best answer drawing mostly from how we were raised. Having a child seems scary for many of us? To be so incredibly responsible for another being is maybe the most important things we will ever do.
With all my work with youth I often say, “ everyone should take a class before they procreate! It’s the most important job you will ever have!!”
This man reminded me that good parenting, or any relationship for that matter, doesn’t need much outside of patience and awareness of what others need. We all need someone strong enough to ask us to slow down and notice things that nature gives us for free. Sometimes we need someone to drive up and down the roads of our life with us will we figure it out, or finally fall asleep in comforting arms till we can find the strength to try again.
I want to be more like this man in my daily activities and if I am ever a parent one day, it will not be the many books on child development I have studied the most that will guide my path, but his example I am lucky enough to observe in the mornings while I live at Elephant Nature Park.
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