Aug 27
I spent two months traveling alone in India. This fact is not groundbreaking. No one is writing a book about me. I am not the first to have done this, and nor will I be the last.
But lately, I have been thinking of it a lot due to all the news coming out of India of sexual harassment (here is a good synopsis of some of the reports). But, like a lot of women, my experience in India was overwhelmingly positive.
Last weekend, I spent an afternoon wandering Greenpoint with a friend. Even though I am coming up on my one-year anniversary in NYC, there is still so much more to explore. I am finding my way around these days, and can somewhat navigate the subway system, but there is still so much more to explore!
As I pushed through the turnstiles, I saw the last lights of the train disappearing into the tunnel, the letter too distant to read. Was it the express or the local? How quickly could I get to my next meeting? It was one of those days when I wished I had an office, having spent the morning going from Chelsea to Midtown and now I was off to Crown Heights in Brooklyn before meeting a friend in Chinatown later. My to-do list wasn't shrinking as the day went on and I was just wishing for a few hours of focused work, which wasn't about to come my way.
As I approach the one year anniversary of coming back to the states, there is a swirl of emotions and thoughts circling my mind. I read this quote the other day and it spoke to me - and my need to live full-whole-heartedly.
“Never touch anything with half of your heart. Be present, endlessly loving and compassionate towards others. Confront any challenging situation first with a deep breath. Wander....
Last week when I wrote about making a list of what I am grateful for in this past year, a few folks asked about that list. So -- here is a portion of that list, in no particular order (the numbers are there just because I like lists, not because of priority).
38 things I am grateful for:
There's a story we sometimes tell on Outward Bound courses about sleeping through a storm. It's a story about a farmer and how this farmer is able to sleep through a storm because she does everything right the first time, she prepares for the oncoming storm by being ready. And it is a good story for teenagers -- to help them to think about planning ahead and not being reactive.
For 13 months I lived out of my backpack or out of a suitcase or out of the back of my car. I never slept in one place longer than a night – two nights. Except for 5 or so weeks on an air mattress while I tried to figure my life out or two weeks in Huaraz or three weeks in Patan. I moved, ate out, people watched, followed my whims.
This time I will get it right, I thought to myself. I left early, I studied maps, and I got on all the right buses and trains. Everything seemed like it was going to work out just fine.
My day started fine - head to Manhattan to meet with a colleague. I made it there just fine, found the coffee shop and had a great productive meeting. But from there.... it started to go downhill.
Now, first, let me tell you about what I know in New York City.
Linen Theme by The Theme Foundry
Copyright © 2024 Adventuring on Planet Aurora. All rights reserved.
