Retiring in Vietnam

05:07 PM

This was nine years ago.

This was my last Thanksgiving in Vietnam, this was from 2016. I returned to America on Thanksgiving Day in 2017.

Rice and chicken cost around a dollar in Vietnam. It came with tea and soup. This was usually my dinner. I would also usually eat rice and eggs in the morning for a dollar. I was usually only eating two meals a day and that's all I needed. I would consider retiring in Vietnam because it's more simple.

There were many reasons why I returned to America in 2017 after teaching English for five years in Vietnam. After many years of contemplating, I ended up returning to America to work on some things.

When I went to Vietnam in 2012, I was intending to never ever return to America. Part of the reason was because Obama was destroying America. But I also wanted to see the world. I wanted to have adventures. One of the reasons I returned to America was because of this guy named Trump. Maybe you've heard of him. But I also returned because I wanted to scan photos and work on some things. I wanted to give America one more try.

Part of me felt like I had unfinished business to attend to that I abandoned when I left America in 2012. So, I wanted to try to quickly finish up some of those things. I wanted to get some things in order. I wanted to perhaps make a few friends or establish say some kind of home base in America in case I ever needed it as I felt like I didn't really have that. Not to say I didn't have that. But some of that might have been fading away in some ways.

As I was teaching English in Vietnam, I would talk about America. I started thinking that maybe I should return and be part of it. I thought why not give it another go. Try to finish up a few things. See if it works out. Look for opportunities in America or even around the world. Make some time for family and friends. Be a little patient. Try to get some things done. Try to learn how to let go of things. Try to grow as a person.

Part of me didn't want to return as it would be a challenge. It would have been easier continuing in Vietnam.

It was also a challenge for Michael Jordan to play baseball. Perhaps Vietnam might be my NBA basketball. I sort of feel like I'm striking out in some ways. But I'm also helping out my recently widowed mom. So, in other wordss, it sort of seems like I was in the right place at the right time to be exactly where I needed to be at least for now.

That doesn't mean we don't make mistakes in life or what have you.

But I do feel like I am oddly where I should be at least for the moment.

That's tough for me to say because I'm always working on things.

I'm always trying to bite off more than I can chew. I'm always running around juggling too many projects overworking myself. Most people don't know how busy I am because I'm rarely telling everybody about what I'm doing all of the time. But regardless, there's only so many hours in a day.

So, you really have to pick your battles.

You really do gotta take it a day at a time and learn how to be at peace with that. You gotta pray for an inner joy that can be content even when you feel like you're many decades behind schedule. One of the things on my never-ending to-do list is considering whether I would want to even try to marry and start a family. I also contemplate whether I would want to work for Trump or other people.

Someday, I may consider retiring to Vietnam or somewhere interesting. But for now, I'm here. Sometimes, you gotta get your head out of the Star Wars Anakin Skywalker clouds and come back down to earth lest you become Darth Vader.

As the turtle said in Kung Fu Panda 3, being in the moment each day is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

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