Day 5- blast from the past.
We started today by touring a brewery that produces the local Saigon beer and 333 beer. Not my first time at a brewery but this time I watched the manufacturing process in a new light. A changed perspective, a business perspective. Operations management was at the forefront, with JIT, automated pull systems, ERP and quality control just to name a few. Another example of the logistics of everything. Judging by the free beer they gave us right off the line, I’d say the process was in control.
The second half of the day was spent touring the tunnels used in the Vietnam war by the Cú Chí people. They began the tour with a 1967 propaganda film about the war. Highlighting the freedom fighters ability to kill the Americans and their war machine. What I saw is not what any govt. would want me to see. I saw the pain and suffering I saw the families lost, the sons the daughters, all lost to the fog of war for ideals everyday citizens of any nation know nothing about. It was interesting to reflect on the past and learn about a period of history. However, this leads me to a different event today, visiting the Project Vietnam site.
Visiting the Catholic ran orphanage for needy children was a moving experience. As soon a I walked up a young girl came up and gave me a hug. What a profound human moment. I sat and played with one boy who couldn’t speak, after a piece of candy and showing him photos on my phone he just smiled from ear to ear. It was very sad seeing their living conditions. But these children don’t need more pity they need more paper. Maybe the work we did for project Vietnam will do some good in helping raise the funds these children need.
So these last two stories are linked for me, they brought reflection to the forefront of my mind. How lucky and blessed I am to live the life I do. I’m not perfect but I’m not disabled. I’m not the smartest, but I’m not mentally challenged. I don’t have the most but my cup runneth over. I don’t yet have love romantically but I have friends and family that love me unconditionally. I am blessed in many ways and human nature has a way of making us lose sight of that. We forget what we have and what we need and often that mindset creates the storm that makes us lose it all. Why reflect on the pain or the hurt of the past? why chose anger over happiness? Fear and sorrow are powerful emotions. We fear loss, we fear change, we fear what we do not understand. Why? All things leave and all things change and mostly we understand so little of it all anyway. Instead today was another reminder to choose love, to choose kindness and understanding. And tomorrow I may fail, I may fail this evening, but failing isn’t the test. The test is continuing the to choose the right things. The test is flexing with the changing winds and embracing the seasons they bring. Today I was reminded and I hope all my days bring reminders of what is really important in this world.