This journey called life...

Since May 2008, I have not spent more than 2 whole months in one  location, without undertaking a journey to another city/country and not more than 6 months being based out of a single location. I have travelled to places like Pune, Nashik, Mumbai, Lonavala, Khandala, Jamnagar, Delhi, Diu, Dwarika, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dehradun, Dodi Taal, Ranchi, Kolkata, Kodai, Munnar, and some more in India, and places like New York, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, California, Vermont, Washington, Chicago, Brookfield and some more in the USA. I have managed to travel in an assortment of different modes of travel, including a short cruise, boat ride, subways, express trains, 14 hour non-stop flights, an old Grand Marquis and my favorite, a Chevrolet Impala with a sun roof. I have witnessed different seasons in different places, tried different cuisines, and thoroughly enjoyed activities like, hiking, trekking, parasailing, water scooter, horse riding, biking, swimming, tower rides , played badminton, underwent a life-altering eye operation, spent 12 days at a naturopathy center ,even observed a 10-day absolute silence and sat in meditation for several hours at a stretch.

I have been going places ! Literally, even in this journey called life. Somewhere along the way, I joined hands with Akash, and together we undertook journeys even more exciting, and enriching.

Several times , I have thought about writing about my travels. I have wanted to record my experiences with the different people I have undertaken these journeys with. I have been tempted to record in details, the new and different things I have experienced. I have wanted to "bottle" the experience of each journey neatly, with proper labels, dates, details of flights,trains,cars etc , details of the different seasons in different places, my feelings and thoughts, and preserve them carefully on a shelf. But somehow, never got down to doing it, and now some of the memories are becoming distant and hazy. Before I lose these precious memories, I must carefully sort them and make an attempt to "bottle" them.

All this, not so much for the benefit of other readers, (I do not believe that my travel memoirs will be interesting enough or of any value to another person) but for mine own. For the 80 year old me. For me, when I am too old to undertake such excruciating journeys, and like other old people, do not have much to look forward to in the future, and mostly live by the memories of the past. For me, when I am sad and feel trapped or when I fail to see the good things in life. For the times that I maybe, in need, of being reminded, that just like these good times did not last forever, the bad times won't, and to know, that I have had good times. I have enjoyed, lived, travelled, played, laughed, loved and felt happy, excited, enthused and even felt lucky !

My journey started with my 28th birthday...I am now not only talking about the travels to different places, but also the journeys of my heart, of my mind and spirit.
My 28th birthday, was a very very significant one. It brought along with it, very powerful winds of change and suddenly after a very very long spell of loneliness, all of a sudden, there were celebrations, there was joy, togetherness, new destinations, important milestones, some defining moments, a few spiritual experiences and a whole new me.
I seemed to have grown wheels under my feet and wings to my heart.
:-)

My journey thus far -  in a nutshell.

Part I - May 2008 - to February 2009 - I like to refer to this time as 'the period of dvija' (dvija means re-birth), I will elaborate more on that in another post.
First half of this period, May 2008 to November 2008, I was based out of Bangalore but spent more time in and out of Ranchi (my hometown).  From November 2008 to February 2008, I can say I was based out of Ranchi. On February 15th, having bid farewell to my singlehood, hand in hand with my life partner, Akash, I embarked upon a lifetime journey...
Part II  - February 2009 - September 2009 - I will call this the period of  'the coming home' .
I was based mostly out of Bangalore. I had some wonderful times with my family during this period. New home, new bank account, new passport, new family, new destinations, and the end of this period saw the start of a yet another new journey as Mr. & Mrs. Akash.
Part III - September 2009 - September 2011. Lets call this the period of 'being glo-cal' . Now there are separate parts to this period.
1. Sept 2009 - January 2010. - Stamford.
2. February 2010 - June2010 - Brookfield.
3. June 2010 - September 2010 - Brookfield.




In the following few posts I will try to capture all that I can, part by part and bottle these times away....so that they are never forgotten.