Good Things Come in Small Packages

It’s not about the size, it’s about  the community

Not far from my apartment, there is a large temple and near that temple there is a tiny Sprit House.  It’s simple, with no ornamentation except for some hanging garlands.  Compared to most Bangkok Sprit Houses, this one is not very impressive architecturally.  But it has something that most other Sprit Houses don’t have – hordes of Spirit followers and what amounts to a very large Spirit community.

When I passed by this minuscule Spirit House the other evening, I was struck by how many Spirits and protectors were guarding the place.  There were dancers, singers, soldiers, elephants and horses. (But no zebras.) Why were there so many protectors for such a small domicile?  I can’t answer that.  Perhaps the Grandmas and Grandpas living in the Spirit House needed special, brigade-sized, protection.  Or maybe all of these people were sons and daughters and grand daughters and grand sons and on and on and on. 

It was all pretty impressive.  Even the back of the Spirit House was being guarded by lots of horses and elephants.  The whole perimeter was protected.

Generally, it’s the big things that are impressive.  Like the huge Spirit Houses with life size Spirits.  Or maybe high rises that soar into the sky.  Or maybe massive cathedrals.  But in this case, I was impressed by how many Spirit people and Spirit animals – a veritable Spirit community – were surrounding one tiny simple Spirit House.  As the proverb goes: “Good things come in small packages.”  This house fits the proverb perfectly.