When drinking water, remember its source

In Vietnamese, we have a proverb “Uống nước nhớ nguồn,” which means “When drinking water, remember its source.”

Simple words, but they carry generations of wisdom. It’s a gentle reminder to never forget where what sustains us comes from.

And somehow… in some miraculous way, I find myself returning to this ancient truth, with lots to reflect on lately and more to share in the days ahead.

In a world that moves fast and glorifies what’s new, it’s easy to take the “water” in our lives for granted—the comfort we wake up to, the opportunities we step into, the people who make our path a little smoother. 

But every drop has a source.

Every success has roots in someone’s effort, sacrifice, or love.

The older I get, the more I feel the depth of this saying. It’s not just a geographic memory of our hometown. It’s about honoring all the hands, seen and unseen, that brought us to the exact moment we’re standing in right now.

Sometimes the source is visible, sometimes it’s not. It could be our parents, teachers, mentors, friends who believed in us when we didn’t. But it could also be the history that shaped our identity, the struggles of those who came before, the quiet resilience we inherited without realizing it.

Remembering the source isn’t nostalgia—it’s gratitude. It’s humility. It’s acknowledging the lineage of strength and love that built the ground beneath every step we take. 

Just like water without its source dries up, living without gratitude is like a plant without root nourishment—eventually losing its vitality.

And remembrance, when embraced with gratitude, doesn’t hold us back. It doesn’t anchor us to the past.

It fuels us.

It becomes a quiet force, deepening our roots while stretching our growth. It makes us stronger, not smaller. More grounded, not weighed down. Because when we know the source, we understand our own power with more intention, more grace, more clarity. 

No matter where life takes us—across continents, into new careers, through seasons of reinvention—the source is never just one thing. 

It’s every person who taught us something.

Every incident that led us here.

Every crisis that revealed our perseverance and brought out the full bloom in us.

“Uống nước nhớ nguồn” is about expansion. 

It reminds us that the life we are living now is not accidental. It’s built on foundations we didn’t create alone.

And that awareness—that gratitude—becomes the energy that carries us forward.

May we remember the source wherever we go next.

Not as a burden, but as a blessing.

Not as an obligation, but as the very force that keeps us moving, rising, and blooming.

Ever grateful.

Ever growing.

🌱

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📍 Vietnam

🎙 Credit: Original Audio