Beautiful Sunday: meeting old friend and getting beautiful orchids.

14 days ago

We had several public holidays during the last two weeks. This meant that there would be less traffic in the city so it’s the right time to bet together with old friend whom I haven’t met over three years. We were to meet at my favourite shopping mall with lots of parking space and free parking too. I was glad to see the road being so empty that it took me only ten minutes to get to the mall. But I was shocked to see so many cars in the car park. So, other people had the same idea, they went out to have lunch with families and friends at the shopping mall.

I had to circle around the parking area and found out that I couldn’t even find a parking space on the sixth floor. So, I had to circle down to the fifth floor and just waited for some people to leave the car park. Luckily, I waited for about ten minutes, a family had their lunch and was about to get back home. I was quite worried that my friend would be waiting for me wondering why I was ten minutes late. I had noticed that people became very heartless and unkind these days.

Instead of giving me some indication of where their car was, these people just let me guessing where the nearest spot to wait so I wouldn’t block other cars. It’s a shame these rich people with their big car but their hearts were narrow and ungracious. I always gave indication to drivers who were searching for available parking space. I would point towards my car parking slot so that the driver didn’t miss the right turning. The driver was usually quite surprised by my gesture. I was just trying to be a good example so that they would do the same for other drivers.

This shopping mall was quite popular among the local residents from wealthy real estate projects around the river. One could tell that these customers were very wealthy by looking at all the expensive cars in the car park. I couldn’t help wondering how they would react when the supply chain stopped and petrol prices became double or triple. I warned some friends about the prospect of a big global war which would affect our society and survival. But my friends just became quiet and refused to pursue the subject matter. They thought it couldn’t be so bad and the fear of uncertainty just stunned them into silent shock. Those people who just bought expensive sport cars would need horses to pull their cars!

My friend was waiting for me in front of the glass elevator. She told me she could easily find parking space on the third floor. I was so glad to see a bag of orchids she brought for me. When we were talking about our meeting on the phone, she asked me what I would like for her area. She lived in Nakorn Pathom, a city to the north of Bangkok which took about an hour’ s drive. It used to be an area famous for pomelos, coconuts and river prawns.

My family used to have Sunday lunch at restaurants looking like big huts by the river. The area was very famous for countryside style food and simple atmosphere by the river. But the small city had triple in size and became urbanised. Things have become very polished and modernised; most of the farm lands and fruit orchards had disappeared. More real estate projects with big houses and townhouses did a roaring business as more rich people wanted to live in more natural surroundings. The few remaining pomelo orchards didn’t produce top quality fruits as the water had become polluted with heavy metals and chemicals.

So, I requested some small cheap orchids which I could carry on my train journey. I knew there were still many plant nurseries in Nakorn Pathom which used to be famous for hundreds of orchids nurseries. I used to see films on some famous orchid farms with thousands of orchids. I wished I had the time to explore this old city one day. The traffic north of Bangkok was a big deterrence. The orchids my friend bought me were exactly what I wanted; these were the cheapest and easiest orchids to look after. They also flowered throughout the year, provided that I gave them some fertiliser.

I was complaining that my friend bought too many orchids, I asked for only three to four small orchids so I could wrap them up for my train journey. She gave me ten small orchids in a big bag which meant that I couldn’t wrap them up and place them in my carrying bag. Luckily these were very cheap as my friend went to get these from the local orchid nursery. Ten orchids cost about two dollars. I didn’t want to take care of expensive orchids as I would be likely to neglect them. I was very glad she bought me orchids instead of pomelos! Pomelos would be too heavy for carrying on my train journey. Besides, we had a few pomelo trees with lots of small fruits.

We had very simple set menu in a old Japanese restaurant. I used to know all the staff at this restaurant; after the long lockdown things had changed quite a bit. Fortunately the food was still good and consistent in quality. My friend really like the grilled fish very much. I liked the miso soup with lots of seaweed and strong fermented bean. I could have three bowls of miso soup by myself. I tried not to be too intrusive in questioning my friend’s future plan. But I couldn’t help asking her about having a family and children in the future.

I met her boyfriend years ago and I wished she would find a new one. My young friend was quite a smart and intellectual person while her boyfriend wasn’t very well educated, he’s merchant or entrepreneur who could make lots of money. He reminded me of my Chinese relatives who were nice people but o could never hold any serious discussion on any critical issues. I once told her to find a new boyfriend after observing how he bossed her around and scolded her for taking the wrong turn on the road. I’ll But this time I didn’t ask whether she still had the same boyfriend.

We talked about other mutual friends whom I hadn’t met for years. The group of friends had shrunk over the years. I took the liberty to warn her again to detox as she had three jabs. This time it was easier to recommend all the basic supplements and vitamins for getting rid of those spike proteins and graphene including heavy metals. I gave her some ivermectin to be taken once a week; her mother also got the jabs and her health had become weakened. I hoped she would follow my recommendations and experience much better health, so that her mother would agree to detox as well.

I gifted my friend a leather bag which could hold a notebook and files of documents. She was a committed researcher on water policies and water management. So she would need to have meetings with other policy makers and local officials. She would look more presentable with a nice leather bag instead of a rug sack. In the good old days, I used to collect nice brief cases, leather bags and brand name leather goods. These have become handy for returning favours to some old friends as ‘parting’ gifts. I have been trying to reconnect with some old friends who used to be very kind to me. I would like to return their kindness and show my gratitude to their friendships.

So, my collectibles would become very useful to some friends. I had no idea when I would have the chance to see them again, as I was planning to move away to the countryside. The future is full of uncertainty so I am trying my best to live in the present and giving away my belongings to people who might need them. I was a collector and a hoarder; I found these had made it difficult for me to let go of my attachment. So, this practice of returning favours and showing my gratitude would be very good for my spiritual progress.