Anyone coming to this blog looking for Appalachian Trail material in the past month or so might have been baffled by the extended posts about a trip to Vietnam now two years past. But anyone who's paid attention to my writing over the years will know that Vietnam is very much part of me. And because Vietnam is part of me, my return there in 2010 is a logical consequence of my AT thru hike. Walking on the AT I came to terms with my participation in the Vietnam War. That experience germinated a longstanding wish to see Vietnam in peace, to perform some form of constructive activity. Two years ago I did exactly that.
Reading my 2010 Vietnam journal and before that my AT journals, I am awash with a wondrous sense of change, of resolution at the end of both adventures. Awash and wondrous are the cardinal words here; the changed perspective feelings felt life-altering. Looking back, the change is real but much less dramatic. The Vietnam War will always be with me. Along with the experience of war these days are pleasant memories of a countryside at peace, gracious Vietnamese hospitality and the fun of working with the English language students and teachers in Da Nang. It all balances even if the balance isn't permanent. The Vietnam War static in my head isn't gone but it's definitely muted.
The new balance was evident during the holiday season just past. Before 2010, the Thanksgiving-Christmas season was always a reminder of being sent to Vietnam. After 2010, I still remember that earlier dark holiday but memories from the more recent trip come to mind as well.
I can live with that.
All the best regarding new adventures - cultivating new memories - in the new year, Mark!
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