Worapun and I shop together at a large market for the fabrics and other materials for making Attapinya yoga bags. The market is typically very crowded; the sidewalks are always covered with people selling goods, leaving very little room for people to walk. Worapun and I had visited this market many times since my arrival because we kept changing and improving the new designs for the yoga bags to make sure that we were both very happy with the look and also the quality.

Many repetitions of any shopping could take the fun out of it, but it was especially easy to loose track of the enjoyment under the conditions of Bangkok : heavy pollution, powerful heat, thick humidity, overcrowded stores and streets, proliferative thieves and so on. However, Worapun and I both ignored those problems so that we could focus on our creativity. I love being with her while we collect the supplies. It serves as a reminder for me to recognize all the hard work that we have been putting toward making the products. That recognition of our effort really helps me to be grateful and humble.

I am fortunate to do this business with Worapun because our talents are complimentary; I am a creator while she is a wonderful seamstress. Her folks are so great with stitching too: her mother, aunt, and brother. The most important thing is that they take pride in their talent and do their best for it -- I have an honest respect for people of that mentality.

On one particular day, we got together for another three hour shopping spree. At this time of the year, I was sweating like never before because the hot and humid summer in Thailand had already begun. Soon after, we took a Tuk-Tuk back to her cousin's house to meet up with her parents, aunt, nephew, and her baby son. They were all there. I hung around for a while, telling jokes and chatting with them. The kindness and honesty from these people touches my heart profoundly. Before I left, I said a little goodbye joke to Worapun's nephew, which caused everyone in the house to smile and laugh. My God! The beautiful, sincere smiles from each one of them bathed my heart in joy. I felt supremely happy and could not stop smiling for a very long time. To me, that is the greatest gift on earth.

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