370 Days Ago

53 weeks minus one day ago, I posted "The Beginning..." 

If only I'd known how completely clueless I was!

In that short time, my life has absolutely changed... and pretty much all for the better. It was definitely a beginning.

• I fell in love with Việt Nam and its people, food, countryside, and even its major cities.
• I realized that if I move to VN (or anywhere in the third world), I can retire today.
• 98% of my worldly possessions are either sold or for sale 
• The house goes on the market next week.
• Less than one year after my initial arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, I will board an aircraft and head to live in Việt Nam with no definite plans to return.
• Short of a few simple phrases and words, the Vietnamese language is an opaque puzzle.
•  WOW!

Many years ago I heard Tom Peters speak at a convention. The only thing I remember from that entire convention was that he said, "If what you're doing does not scare you, then you're not doing enough."

Poet James Dickey famously said, "If your life bores you, risk it."

Do these two quotes mean that I feel my next adventure will be risking my life? Absolutely not! They do indicate what I've felt for many, many years... most of us sit within our comfort zones and grow old before our time, me included.

This is me stepping out of my comfort zone and suggesting you find a way to at least lean out of yours. You just may like the view.