“Oh Lord, I’ll never find Anthony in all this chaos, Mama exclaimed!” It was early 1970’s at my Granny Smith’s house. I was probably around 3-4 years old, and the way Mama told the story, there were so many grandchildren running around Granny Smith’s yard and such chaos, that Mama was afraid she’d lose me. She was looking for order in the chaos. There was a lot of chaos in the large family. Granny Smith had 11 kids, including two sets of twins, and over two dozen grandchildren at the time. However, Granny Smith was well versed in finding order, or structure, in the chaos, having lived with a big family for so long. How else could she manage to cook breakfast, including baking fresh biscuits, every day for 11 kids! And she helped calm Mama and provide her with the sense of order so she knew I was ok.
Fast forward 45 years later, 2019, and I’m an adult riding along on the back of a motorbike in downtown Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formally known as Saigon. My bike and driver are following our nighttime bike city tour group hurtling towards a traffic roundabout intersection filled with a chaotic tangle of other vehicles. My thought was, “Well, it has been a fun life and now this is how I am going to die!” I squeezed my eyes tight but not shutting them, and squeezed even tighter to my tour guide/motorcycle driver as we entered the chaos. But to my surprise, we threaded the chaos seamlessly with a sense of order, purpose and calm, exiting the chaotic roundabout onto a much calmer neighborhood street. Much like my Granny Smith, this young Vietnamese motorcycle driver knew how to find the order in the chaos of driving in downtown HCMC (Saigon).
Now, fast forward 5 years to today in 2025. We as a world and a nation (United States) are experiencing a new era of chaos entirely man made and full of hate, division and vitriol. We are right now the Un-United or Divided States of America in my humble but saddened opinion, regardless of political party affiliation. I try to keep my posts non-partisan and non political because that’s not the purpose of this newsletter. But when circumstances create chaos that impacts all of our collective and individual wellbeing then it is relevant to this newsletter.
Right now, I’m personally struggling with finding order in the chaos that’s happening. Staying informed but not triggered, focused and intentional and actionable not reactive or passive. Trying to find the order and path through the chaos and come out safely on the other side united once again instead of divided.
I don’t have a perfect answer for finding order for you. It is different for each of us. What I can say is that like my Granny Smith and that young Vietnamese motorcycle driver who knew how to find order, I’m curious about observing the chaos around me and identifying that path of order that will help me navigate safely through. In other words, become intimately aware of your surroundings and what’s happening. And at the same time, search for the path and actions that make sense to you for order. Don’t look for the path or actions of others. Look for what feels right to you for order. We all have intuition which guides us when we are on the right path or in danger. Listen to it before taking action.
Sometimes order in the chaos may be disconnecting to renew yourself. Go for a walk, ride a bike, exercise, hang out with family and friends, read a book, meditate etc.. Whatever renews your energy and spirit before getting back into the chaos. Then other times order is focusing on the small actions and paths that you can take to make a difference and create order in the chaos.
Those are the things I’m doing now to find order for myself. I encourage each of you to reflect on your own stories and experiences for finding order in the chaos. And my wish for us all is to come out of the chaos on the other side united in a calmer more serene, caring, and compassionate nation and world. Remember Your Story Matters and people must not be erased or lost to the chaos because Everyone’s Story Matters. We are all just walking each other home. Let’s walk in peace and in order not chaos.
The traffic photo above is from Hanoi Vietnam not HCMC. It was during the same 2019 trip). The photo of me on the bike is from our nighttime tour in HCMC (Saigon). I was too busy hanging on for dear life to take photos lol 😂.