sometimes i forget that "happy monday" doesn't have to be an oxymoron.

This weekend I went on a lovely little over-nighter to Ba Vi Mountain. Highlights included:

1. Learning to drive and practicing driving motor bike!!! Probably my new favorite activity.
2. Discovering the best yogurt that Viet Nam has to offer (this area is famous for milk and yogurt).
3. Our group having our whole hotel to ourself. Seriously, the little village was practically deserted--pure bliss.
4. Fresh air and more natural nature than I have yet encountered in Viet Nam. It was like an oasis for my nature-thirsty soul...

But the ride home was typical of these sorts of excursions--a gradual procession into increasing noise, smog, traffic, and people...

I started to dread Monday.

But Monday came, as it is wont to do, and managed to shine through the Hanoi smog much more brightly than expected. It turned out to be a conglomeration of good things and feelings: it brought an unexpected number of long, loving, newsy emails; it brought an exciting surprise and something to look forward to; it brought gorgeous weather and time to sit outside and read on my lunch break while drinking amazingly cheap Vietnamese iced coffee; it brought that random, good day feeling of thankfulness. Mostly, it brought me to my knees with the realization that I should not spend so much energy dreading things.

Poor Mondays. They really can't help it.