list writing

Today was a glorious day, warm and sunny, ending in rain.   In the morning we took it easy; at lunchtime I got the tyres on my pushbike fixed, went to Love Chocolate Cafe and did some writing.  I got back just as baby was waking from his nap.  I took him for a stroll in the stroller, then went for a quick swim, came back and taught Chi Nhung some English.  The local pool Tay Ho Hotel has opened and is clean and ready for the new season.  The changing rooms have been scrubbed and they have put up some odd high visibility bollards  at the edges of the pool -  not sure what they are for.

I wrote about all the aspirations I had when I came to Vietnam - how few of them have come true!!  Apart from the being fluent in Vietnamese part.

Then I wrote about all the things I never dreamed I would get to do, like go on a pilgrimage with a bunch of French Buddhists, for one. 

Then I wrote about the things I still dream of doing here.  One of them is to inspire others. 

This list-writing process was very refreshing and I recommend it to anyone else who happens to be sitting with a mug of delicious iced chocolate (or soya honey banana shake I guess), and wondering if their life has fallen flat, or whether they're at the brink of something new and exciting.  It might just tip the balance.