A Formula

This morning a fish tried to escape his blue plastic bin (and death by bludgeoning) and landed on my foot. Frogs get their heads snipped off and- after their bodies jump around a bit- their skins are slipped off, like t-shirts. Chickens are beheaded and quartered on the chopping block, and shrimp free- fall off of their metal stands. 

Is it being more aware of the cycle of life that makes me feel more present here? Or is it just all of the senses required to exist here moment-by-moment? Having to plaster myself against the fabric stand to let a motorbike pass through the narrow alley after hearing a horn beep, dodging roosters and dogs (thinking they are rats), feeling the sweat and tasting the salt, listening to the vendors advertising, selling...since I can't gather it up and liquify it and shoot it into my veins, I will have to settle for coming back to re-acquaint my soul and my taste buds whenever I can.

Thuy and Thanh's house, the size of my living room and kitchen - maybe 600 square feet - houses anywhere from five to ten people at a time. Grandparents care for kids, and vendors watch out for each other - and borrow change and use toilets in neighborhood homes. 

Here is a formula:

Fulfillment = scissored frog heads (nothing against the frogs) + pet roosters - heat and humidity + rice cakes (1000) + green tapioca balls filled with mung bean paste covered with coconut milk (that vendor was here this morning) + hair washes and My Spa Massages X community.

Life is in constant motion.This is math I understand.