are we there yet?: 100 happy days: week 4.

I am beginning to doubt the logistics of this 100 Happy Days project.

It's not that I'm having a hard time finding things that make me happy each day. It's just that some things just can't be photographed. Sometimes you can't get your camera out in time, sometimes the picture doesn't have anything to do with the happy thing you're trying to capture, sometimes you don't necessarily want to publicly share your happy moment. What do you do in those cases?

I'm also starting to think that I don't really need to complete this project. Many years of therapy have ingrained in me the basic concepts behind this project - being present, finding gratitude in the little things, finding patterns of contentment and naturally seeking those out over patterns of negativity. (And trying to do all this in a constructive way versus a passive aggressive way like before.) Not that I've mastered any of this by any means - but I'm closer now than I've ever been.

And maybe I'm a bit wary of posting pictures of goofy things that make me happy here in Vietnam when most people around me struggle to get by every day. This overarching capitalist-tourist-selfish-firstworldguilt concept is something that I wrestle with every day these days.

But I'm going to keep going and see what happens. Pardon me if I improvise here and there. And just because this particular outlet of happy might not be right for me, doesn't mean it's not right for you. Happiness is a personal journey - find your path and go to it!

Day 79

Day 79: when the power went out in Sapa and the pre-teen girls downstairs let out a collective and loud "YAAAAAY!" That was the best thing I've heard in a long time and it still makes me smile when I think about it.

Day 78

Day 78: when we went back to our "usual" market food stall for breakfast and the woman smiled. The food wasn't spectacular but it was hearty, colorful (rare in Sapa), and reasonably priced, and the woman who prepared it moved so slowly and with such care that each bite was worth the 20 minute wait for our meal. In the 10 or so days we were in Sapa, I think we ate at her stall at least six times and each return visit earned us more meat with our dish - and a bigger and bigger smile each time she saw us coming.

Day 77

Day 77: when we sat by the lake and I stared at this tree for 15 minutes. Still don't know what it's called but I love the flowers.

Day 76

Day 76: when we saw two baby pigs on our mountain trek. The first part of the trek was pretty underdeveloped, mostly just farmland. A lot of that hike made me happy, this is just one moment of it. The mountains in the background and baby animals everywhere were such a nice change from the tourists, motorbikes and incessant "where you from?!" inquiries from local villagers peddling their handicrafts in downtown Sapa.