Vietnam Diaries (Day 14): Following the Gut

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Today was a day I followed my impulse and chucked all plans. Instead of going to the Ang Bang Beach, I spent my morning in Hoi An, cycling to the Tra Que Village to see the sunrise. Instead of leaving for Da Nang post-lunch, I left early taking the public bus traveling like the locals do. And then, I spent my afternoon going to the Marble Mountains followed by a superb Vietnamese massage with blends of Thai, Swedish and Hot Stone therapy mixed in it.

The Sun did rise in the West today

Such a flow is very contrary to how I typically operate. Being a Market Development Manager, a Teacher and an Operational Leader of a Site, coupled with my background in Engineering, have made me extremely prone to the occupational hazard of extreme planning. It, of course, has its benefits in personal and professional life. With travel, I end up significantly optimizing costs vs. experiences. I make the most of the time I have, combining rest and reflection with experiencing the locale. I usually end my trips with no regret. 

Yet, I think the reward today was worth it. One, being in the lap of nature - both on the ride to the Tra Que Village and in the tranquil Marble Mountains - made me feel peaceful. Two, the Body Massage after two weeks of traveling, including hours of cycling and walking in the sun and rain every day,  was exceptionally rejuvenating. I am not saying that I wouldn't have felt the same had I planned the experience, but it was even better to have no expectations, followed by a great experience. 

Every day is a new lesson

Traveling on the fly allowed me to constantly acknowledge what I was feeling now and define what I wanted to feel next. And thus, I could make choices that were informed, not by operational suitability, but by how I was feeling and how I wanted to feel.  And that probably left me feeling much better at the end of the day, barring the dinner which was a struggle to find and ended with a visit to Pizza Hut.

Honestly, I don't know if I would have said the same had my day been a bummer. Yet, here I am feeling peaceful and rejuvenated, so I am not going to reject or rationalize these feelings (anyway, the thing about feelings is that they just happen and they are rarely planned). To play Devil's Advocate, I can go back to all the days where I was super-planned and things went for a toss. 

I think I am going to be more intentional about approaching my days differently once in a while. Stepping out of 'normal' may allow me to redefine some of my personal boundaries. At the same time, it gives the parts of my brain, which I exercise every day, a break from routine. Who knows, what new facets of me I may discover and begin to enjoy. In the process, I may understand people,  who are less like me, even better.

There is more to us than our eye can see

Clearly, I am back to being typically me, making everything a reflective, learning experience.

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