The Magic of Lumpini

So I am working on a book right now. I need to get back into blogging. My apologies. Consider this my re-entry. I have been thinking of Lumpini Park this morning among other things and thought I would share an exert from my brainstorming:

Right in the middle of what feels like sheer chaos. In a city that is an all day traffic jam, bumper to bumper cars and buses, motorcycle taxis and scooters weaving in and out of traffic, sidewalks full of people, little shops and stands and more motorcycles, sits an oasis. A place that offers tranquility and an escape. This 360 rai (142 sq acre) Graceland is called Lumpini Park. It is like entering another world.

There are no cars inside the park. There is no smoking or soi dogs. It is a beautiful park full of trees and open space, a man made river and lake. There is a wide track that goes around the outer edge of the park with a couple paths leading through the middle of it. It is a place you go to see things you might not get to see in your every day life in the city. I had heard a rumor that the park was home to giant monitor lizards. That was hard for me to believe. But as I ran the park and started paying attention I started noticing these strange, prehistoric like creatures emerging from the water. It was really a little hard to believe. Here in the middle of the city came these huge lizards. The more time I spent in the park the more I noticed them. You can get incredibly close too! That is, if you want to get close. They are relatively docile and fun to watch. My 6 year old son loves going there to watch them and even feed them. Add giant catfish to the equation and it is almost like a free trip to the zoo.

I run early in the morning. The park opens at 5am. Our running club usually meets about 6:30am Sunday mornings. At that time of day the park is alive. There are people everywhere. It is a sea of people engaging in a myriad of activities. The track is full of walkers and runners and casual strollers. It would seem almost impossible looking at it that anyone can run there, but like a stream or river, it all flows together nicely. There are people in the grass having separate classes. Some are doing Tai Chi (I think), others are doing these beautiful movements or dances using either oriental fans or even swords. By the main gate there is an aerobics class happening. At times I have seen well over 100 people doing aerobics. I always smile as I pass the aerobics class. There are always people in the crowd making up their own moves or keeping to the back and just dancing. Hey if they aren't knocking anyone over, more power to them. There are pavilions and tables full of people laughing, talking loudly and eating. You can tell they are old friends and family by the way they cut loose with each other.

Then there is the “Lumpini Parade”. My first day in the park and with the running group we were greeted by these older Thai gentlemen. If you can imagine, there is about 30-40 of them all wearing a matching blue singlet. The gentleman in the front sets the pace; a nice slow pace. He also rhythmically honks a loud bicycle horn to the rhythm of his footsteps. As I entered the park these were the first guys I met. They waved me into the group and asked me to join them. Too nervous and still looking for the running group I just joined, I turned them down. It doesn’t stop them from waving and asking us to join every Sunday morning. I feel like these men have tapped into something. They found running as a community. They have connected to each other and built strong bonds. This is something I see the running club I am a part of moving towards, even in its early stages. But more than that, by their simple presence in the park I feel welcomed there. As a foreigner and someone still new to the country these guys have made me feel a part of the park and the larger community there. This group of runners, these bridge builders, have helped me see that running isn’t just about my physical health and well being but it is about others and embracing people as they are.

Lumpini is hard to describe fully though. It is more than the sum of its parts. My friend K-san calls it the "Magic of Lumpini". It is where I have seen on many days that running truly is a spiritual discipline. To be part of something so alive and vibrant engages the soul. It engages all our senses. It reminds us of God’s good creation and our place within it. It reminds us that our lives are connected together simply because we all bear the image of God and each person deserves dignity, honor, respect and love.

Like I have said before, God is waiting for us out there. He is waiting along the path. We are being called out and to something. Running can be just running or it can be more.

Do you have a place you run that carries that kind of significance to you?