I imagine the average person doesn’t wake up one day and say “I’d love to travel to India!” It’s chaotic, dirty, and if you are used to many Western comforts, they won’t quite be the same as you are accustomed to. Or if you pay the fee for them, you are missing out on what is infront and all around you.
When I was in Asia a couple years ago, I decided that I wanted to travel to India as well – and was even told by an Indian family in Kuala Lumpur that I should wait around 10 years until the transportation system was improved.. but why wait? The transportation is part of the country – good or bad, I’ll take that with the rest of what is to come.
So in tandem with the Everest Base Camp trek I’m participating in on Nov 25, I decided this was the time to come to India. To have my own journey and truthfully, spiritual awakening.
Amazingly enough, this all happened within the first few days.
Through a family friend, I was introduced to a healer and spiritual guide – Patrick (who also is the founder of Samarpan Foundation that I did some work with while in Delhi. A wonderful volunteer-driven organization that helps people, animals and the environment. I”ll write another blog on that next)
Not even two hours off the plane and I receive a healing for my back (and other things which are for me to know) and honestly, I haven’t had the back pain that I’ve been riddled with for years since then. Granted I’m a bit stiff some mornings thanks to the uber hard mattresses, but that’s to be expected.)
After the healing there was a talk to which Patrick brought up some interesting pieces about how we humans so often feel we need to have a larger ‘purpose’ in life. That we have some grand plan here to leave a life that is like no other. And this desire to have meaning to our existences is what actually throws us off from what is simple and natural in our lives.
It’s like we throw a giant boulder in our streams of life and expect the current to continue to run smoothly.
All the personal work I’d been doing over the past years to improve myself and “be happy” all the time finally clicked into place. This was the one last piece that I was missing in my own puzzle. It brought up how I have this struggle of outside and inside voices that dictate what I should be doing, where I shoudl be going, and who I am “supposed” to be in life.
Wonderfully, now, I realize that that’s all ridiculous and the only way to true happiness is to let go of all that and JUST BE.
For a former control freak, this hasn’t been the easiest up until now, but after that talk, and a moonlight meditation the night after, I actually feel more calm and grounded than I ever have in life.
I’ve let go of expectations and over-planning. “Be happy anyway” said Patrick after the meditation. Be happy anyway. Things don’t always go as you want, but it’s OK. You don’t have to let that get you down or anger you, just accept it and move on. If someone lets you down or hurts you, it’s not on them – it’s on you. As you had expectations of how they should be acting and when they didn’t do as you wanted, you became hurt. Let go of these expectations, and don’t be hurt.
Embarking on this journey though incredibly impoverished and chaotic lands suddenly became so much easier when I let go of so much and decided to just go with it all. That it will all work out, one way or another. That if I miss a train or bus I can catch the next one. If I eat a meal that’s blah, it doesn’t matter because it’s just food, it’s just money. More of each will come.
I thought I was going to make this post about the hustle and bustle of this city of incredible opposites, but this is what came out 🙂 apparently it was more pressing to share. More to come… namaste
cool..just have fun..