Content (by Duc Luu, Oct. 31, 1998.)

Last July, 1998, I took a short vacation trip to my native land, Vietnam. It was fairly a decent nice trip although I was there for just two weeks.
Not only had I have a chance to see my folks back home but I also re-united with quite a few schoolmates fourteen years later after we were all on our own ways separately.
We did have good times, did lots of things together: eating out, bowling, karaoke-singing, and so on, and especially talking about our past.
Though I did see some economic gaps among these friends. There were a few who were wealthy enough to spend easily $VN 650,000.00 (briefly $US 60.00) for just one night of karaoke singing.
There were also a few who barely made their ends-meet with an average of $VN 300,000.00 (less than $US 30.00) a month; And of course, there were some who were in the middle. Despite all that, they all still managed to get by and get along wiht each other.
Some asked me how life was like living in U.S.; and likewise, I also wondered how they managed to hang on with such a harsh condition like everyone else.
In a coffee shop, owned by Trang, of of the girls in the group, we got together one night talked about things from the past. We were all happy, laughed, and of course, could not explain but wondered and amazed how each one ended up the way we were. Like cab-driver in U.S.A., Tuan made his hard-earned money by renting and running an own cyclo to carry passengers daily on the city streets. When asked how rough the profession was, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, it is life! we've got to hang in there. Someone's got to make a living someway, somehow," said Tuan.
. As far as I know, the mentality of those who grow up from Eastern philosophy, at least from my own perspective, seem to adapt well with an idea of being content and satisfied with whatever life brings into one's own journey; in other words, living with fate. If things happen not to turn out the way one wishes, would one complaint? Sometime! Would one question it? Maybe! And would one be satisified and move on? Absolutely!
Trang, the one who owned the coffee shop, asked me what I thought if she decided to leave Vietnam - I later found out that Trang met a successful business man who was an American and they they both planned to open business U.S. instead.
Without hesitation, I teased her, as I once used to, "You've gotten money and power here. You know how to bribe, like you always did in school, - others to get your business going. That's your groove., I said. "Owner of a coffee shop in a busy district like this isn't that bad; not many folks in this group have what you have now.", I added.
Trang paused and sighted. Phuong, another guy from the group, winked at me, "Right on, Duc. Every where is probably the same as long as your own goodwill goes with it." he said. "Beside," he looked at Trang and winked, "We dont want you to leave us.", said Phuong.
People seemed to content the way they were. That seemed to strike me at odd especially from an unlikely place at an unlikely situation like where we were.
I looked around. Despite all faces and minds from different backgrounds, different financial status, rich and poor, we were all there, together once again like we once used to: the young, the innocents, and the happy faces that worried nothing but schoolworks ahead. Just like the way we were fourteen years ago: so innocent, so childish, and so wild where tough life was not part of everyone's journey at the time.
It was really a precious time that brought me back the golden past...

My feeling, happiness and sadness, was all mixed up on the way back to my hotel. Happy and glad for those who know how to find their way around to make their life worthwhile and live a decent life, perhaps. But yet, a sad touchy feeling to those who barely survive their livelihood of course.
The nice thing to them, after all, was that they were all happy, satisfied with what they were, and most importantly, content with what they were given in life.

Those content smiling faces of my childhood schoolmates reminded me a short story that I've read, could not help but collected it, from the book "Stories For The Heart".
The story was retold by Kris Gray, and I would like to quote it here:
"There was an old and very wise man. Everyday he would sit on his rocking chair near by a grocery store to greet people who passed by through his small town. Each day, his grandson usually joined him as a team.
As they sat, wondering and reading different people's minds who happened to come and go, a man who surely had to be a tourist, came up and asked the old man, "So, what kind of town is this that we are in, my man?" The old wise man slowly looked up and said, "Well my young fellow, what kind of town are you from?" The young man then said, "My town is bad, everyone is all gossiping, pointing, and picking on each other, it's not a good place to live. Can't wait to be leaving my town." The old man then looked at the young fellow and informed him, "Well, you know, that's just how this town is."
A couple hours later, another strange family happened to stop by pick up some stuff in the store, the old man could see the wife was mumbling for the restroom, he saw the husband pointed to the gas station across the street. As his wife walked toward the gas station, seeing the old man and the kid with their mind wandering quietly aimlessly, the husband walked up to them and held on the conversation to break out the silence, "This seems to be a very quiet town, is this a nice place to live?" The old man slowly rocked his chair, once again, turned to the husband and replied, "What kind of town are you looking for?" the husband then smiled, "well, in the town I'm from, each one is very cheerful, they always say hello and greet to each other. It's tough to find a town like that and I hate to leave it. Feel like a family to me of where I live now." The old man looked up at him and gave him a warm smile back, "Well, you know, you've got it. That's a lot like this small town my young man."
As the grandson watched the couple drove away, he was stunned, looked at his grandpa and asked, "Grandpa, how come when the first man came into our town, you told him it was a horrible town, and when this couple came, you told them it's a wonderful place to live?" The old man looked down at his grandkid, rocked his chair slowly and smiled, "No matter where you live or move to, you have your own attitude with you, that is what makes it horrible or wonderful." (storied by Kris Gray)
--oOo-- My last trip to Vietnam, despite all mixed feelings; Being sad for those who were poor and happy for those who were rich, it was a memorable trip.
Despite all the differences and burdens these people had to bare on their lives, a treasure is found in each of those smiling faces: a young, happy, innocent, and content attitude that was once existed in each of us. Fourteen years later, being struggled, trying to survive and get by with rough lives, we found each others again: a very same young, honest, and content smiles that were once used to be.
On my way flying back to U.S., I still had a special feeling for those friends who got left behind. The feeling that comes to my understanding that the great deal of what they have does not depend on what they like but instead, it depends on who and what they really are.
Duc Luu