I didn’t plan on being here. Hanoi wasn’t penciled into my calendar, wasn’t forecasted in my wallet, and definitely wasn’t in my five-year plan (which, let’s be real, is already a comedy of errors). Yet here I am, after a day of wandering- parked by a lake with coffee in hand, notebook on my lap, pen poised like I’m auditioning for the role of ‘serious writer who owns too many scarves.
But the real question is… what’s the script? What do I write about today?
The air is sharper than I expected for Vietnam in December, cold enough to remind me I’m alive and also that I packed entirely wrong. Christmas is almost here, and right behind it… the New Year! Another year gone!
I should probably write something profound about how the year went, but truthfully, it was hard. I leaned on the word exhausted more times than I leaned on my suitcase (and that thing has wheels).
This isn’t a rant, it’s just honesty. And maybe honesty is the only way to measure a year. Still, I want to end this piece.. and this year…on a hopeful note.
Because despite the exhaustion, I’m here. I managed the flight. I walked Hanoi’s streets, listened to scooters weaving through traffic like caffeinated bees, and watched the lake ripple with reflections.
Humans are weirdly good at contradictions: tired but still moving, sick but still capable, worn down but still buying overpriced airport snacks!
Maybe that’s the paradox of life itself. We don’t always choose the timing of our journeys. Hanoi wasn’t in my plan, but it became my pause, a reminder that even in the hardest years, there are moments of stillness: paper, pen, and a lake that doesn’t care if I’m behind on emails.
And then I look up: a group of friends laughing over ice cream sandwiches by the water. Ice cream in winter?? Well… why not. Maybe that’s my hope right there. Maybe I’ll even ask them where they found it.
Because maybe that’s the point- we don’t always need the right season to enjoy what’s in front of us. Sometimes you just eat the ice cream, even if your hands are freezing!