Bridging Two Worlds: How My Wife Helped Me Reconnect with My Inner Child

#47 A trip to Saigon Center turned into a profound journey of rediscovery, gratitude, and childhood dreams.

Hey! I am so grateful to have you back at my blog. Your subscription means the world to me. ❤️ In order to get to know you better, here is a question for you: “What did you enjoy doing the most when you were a child?” 😊

Now jumping into today’s blog:

“What do you want to do now?” my wife asked me after we finished our lunch in a restaurant in District one. While trying to deal with my food coma, I suggested that we could go to the shopping mall Saigon Center, which was just a couple of minutes away from the restaurant.

After we paid, we went on a typical German: “Verdauungsspaziergang” - lol, just realized how fucking long this word is. It just means, “a walk to digest”.

The door slid open and a gust of cool air hit our face. Shopping malls are indeed the place to be, when you want to escape the heat.

Saigon Center is quite big, full of international brands, restaurant and a food court. Intuitively, we went to the escalator and headed straight to level 3 where all the joy and fun is - the kids section.

As we arrived on the level, we could already see the kids staring at the cool stuff and trying to convince their parents to invest in their joy.

Rediscovering Our Anime Obsession

Since my wife and I are lowkey weebs, we had to go to anime section,. Here you could find a variety of toys related to the world of anime. I starts from stuffed Pokemons to to dope anime figures that is worth of half of your rent.

What I enjoy the most is, when we see new products and immediately connect it to a specific scene of the anime. Not rarely you can hear me commenting on figures, posing in their signature pose and whispering to my wife:

• ”Itachiiiii, best character! And you Sakura, you suck.”

• “Tanjirooooo looks dope in this form.”

• “Oh! Oh! Honey, do you remember this scene?”

After 15 minutes of staring at cool stuff and commenting on the overpriced Pokemon key caps, we go to our final destination … the Gashapons machines.

Gashapons: Where Luck Meets Nostalgia

It is basically a lucky draw of certain items, such as key chains or small figures - a children friendly gambling and this is how it works.

1. You throw some gold coins into the machine.
2. You spin the wheel
3. You hope that you get what you want.
4. You are disappointed because you already have that item.
5. You go to the cashier and ask, if he can help you get exactly the character you want.
6. In case he supports your cheating habits, he will place the right item into the place holder and you redo the process and get what you wanted.

Since we lost one key chain of “Mashle” - by far the funniest anime I know - we have been returning to this place on a regular basis hoping that they would restock.

This time, they did not have this merchandise. Disappointed we walked further only to discover something else that would make go wild!

My wife found a wooden puzzle where you can crack the pieces out of the wooden sheets and build 3D models. In this case it was the f*cking ship of Luffy (One Piece).

I almost fainted when we went through the collection and found different types.

I almost fainted a second time, when I saw the price tag.

With tears and a broken heart, I put it back to the shelf and tried to forget this beautiful encounter. That is when my wife held me back and told me, that she would but it. After trying to convince her, that nothing would justify this price tag, she stared at me and said: “I will buy and gift it yo you if it makes you happy.”

My inner child was excited that there was a chance that I could reconnect with a long lost hobby of mine - wood craft. The voices inside me had a huge debate, whether it was truly a good idea to let my wife buy it. Pros and cons rushed through my head as if I was in a language club.

Ultimately, I said no - it was not worth it.

With 0% f*cks giving, my wife picked the most expensive version of it and took her wallet out.

My inner alarm went on and I realized, I can not play this game with my loving wife.

Immediately, I tried to calm her down and chose the version that would be the best price/happiness ratio. In the end she bought me the “Thousand Sunny”.

Building Joy, One Piece at a Time

With a big smile and great mood, we went home - all excited to build it.

As soon as I arrived at home, I cleaned the table and got ready to become a true shipwright. Carefully like s surgeon, I removed the pieces from the wooden sheet and placed them together as described in the manual.

For hours, I placed the wooden pieces together and showing each progress to my wife as if I had won the gold medal in Olympic. I took photos of each development stage and had to remind myself every time, how awesome life is. #yeudoi

Right after I finished it, I took photos and videos of this master piece - similar to a construction worker that just built the most complex building in whole Vietnam. I looked at my wife and thanked her from the bottom of my heart.

This was when I realized what actually happened in the last 4 hours …

A Bridge Between Past and Present

1. Not only did my wife understood my internal conflict but pro-actively wrapped her arms around my inner child and acknowledged something, that I struggled to see
2. I reconnected to a child hood hobby. In primary school, I enjoyed wood work the most because I was able to use my creativity and build something that would Thomas made.
3. I connected to an old hobby with a new interest, which was anime.

The support of my wife was a bridge that connected two versions of Thomas. The kid Thomas ,that could spend hours in the workshop at school, drawing and building random stuff and Thomas that tries his best to navigate adult life.

I love that fact that thanks to my wife, I was able to hold a place for my inner child to be part of my adult hood. I am grateful that this action lead to creative world full of joy and excitement. I am blessed that I got another life lesson:

#mydailylearning

“Treat yourself to the things you dreamed of as a child, now that you have the means to enjoy them.”

Being an adult and earning your money has it’s advantages. Even if this set was a gift from my wife, I want to invest into my childhood dreams.

Call to Action: Embrace Your Inner Child

Life often pulls us away from the simple joys we cherished as children, but reconnecting with them can bring incredible fulfillment. What hobbies or passions lit up your world when you were younger?

Take a moment to reflect on them and ask yourself: What’s stopping me from rediscovering that joy today?

Whether it’s painting, building, crafting, or simply exploring something new, give yourself permission to embrace that inner child. Make time for creativity, curiosity, and play—it’s not just for kids; it’s for anyone seeking a life full of meaning and excitement.

Today, take one small step toward a childhood dream you’ve left behind. Revisit an old hobby, pick up something you always wanted to try, or even share this journey with someone who supports your happiness.

Your inner child deserves to thrive. Let them remind you how joyful and limitless life can be. 🌟

Thanks for reading to the end and I wish you an awesome day full of kindness and positivity. See you next Sunday morning for a new blog of #sonofavietkieu. 🥰

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Keep staying awesome! #yeudoi