Had a fairly exhausting, one hour windsurfing outing yesterday afternoon, followed by a late evening meal with a few glasses of wine with my wife after she finished work. So by 23:00 I was very relaxed in a comfy chair and considering bed. So what the hell was I doing after midnight, sat in a car with she who must be obeyed as we pursued a rubbish truck around the streets of Pattaya?

She was in a contemplative mood as we sipped our wine earlier in the evening. She observed that she frequently complained about the long hours of her job, but she was well paid and had good conditions to work in; unlike so many workers who slave for very little to provide the goods and services that we take for granted in the city (e.g. farmers); plus those who work around the clock to make sure our utilities work, our rubbish is removed etc.

She said that she normally went to the temple on her birthday to make merit; but what was the point of giving more money to the temple, they had plenty of money already? No, this year she wanted to do something nice for the people who have the crappy jobs which make our lifestyle better. She decided that she wanted to give some money to the guys who take away our rubbish.

Every night, at midnight, a rubbish truck passes our condo and takes away our discarded waste. Last night, it was then pursued down the road by a determined she who must be obeyed in her car, with a bleary-eyed me in the passenger seat and roll of 100 baht notes in her hand, carefully segregated into four separate batches, one for each of the crew.

The truck stopped, she who must be obeyed jumped out and dispensed the equivalent of a day’s wages to each of the delighted and bemused rubbish collectors, with a smile and a “thank you for what you do for us”. Then she hopped back in the car and we drove home.

How can I not love someone who does things like that?