September 2026

We were wandering through the Old Quarter in Hanoi when we came across a small Buddhist monastery. The cold stone floors were pristine, and the Buddha statues were polished clean of fingerprints. The clean stairs and sparkling tiles seemed inherent to the temple, but I was reminded of the work behind it when the sun peeked through a doorway and illuminated a monk wiping the sweat from his forehead as he stepped out for a break from cleaning. Outcomes glow brighter than the work behind them, until that work is brought to light.