Skip to main content

Intention Setting

Hopefully I'll only have to write once about the oddity of reflecting so quickly about such novel experiences, yet I also hope to keep my mind on the power and responsibility of documentation. Especially in places that are underrepresented in my sphere of living, or are over represented through particular lenses. Navigating the balance between exaggeration and first impression will no doubt prove to be challenging, and I look forward to seeing how much my perspective breathes when seeing through the eyes of new friends. Perhaps that is mostly how impressions are gleaned anyway - imagining life through the perspective of those being visited.

May this journey re-introduce me to the hurdles and beauties of living, as well as deepen my discernment between life and Love. May I always find the time to bow in humble gratitude toward the partnerships I find along the way - however brief. May I find fulfillment in completing what is asked of me, and in doing so, come into deeper relations with that which draws me in. May this journey be something I can share - in all its mistakes, messiness, joys, and pitfalls - and may I never forget those who gave me the strength and courage to actualize a dream.

To the group of us about to travel to Mysore together - May we practice patience and compassion, toward ourselves and others, as we embark on this journey of learning. May we find space to support each other even when confusion and exhaustion are present. May we joyfully share in each other's successes, and collectively grieve over any losses. May we remember the intentions that brought us here, and in the process of fulfilling them find happiness, health and peace.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Monkey Mind at Sunrise

Yesterday, my dad was pestering me about not sharing enough sensory information about Mysore - the sights are clear, but what about sound, smell?? I thought about why that was, and - sound aside for the time being - I realized that I am often confronted with an unfamiliar or decontextualized smell - at the hostel, in the streets, a temple, a concert etc. At first it feels like something I could know, that I've smelled before, so I lean into it a little bit, taking a deeper breath in. There's some word I could maybe cling to - sweet, sour, smokey, citrus - but often even that morphs in on itself and I'm left with a strong urge to qualify. Is this good or bad? And then someone cries "I love that smell!" or fondly "Ah, India" or aghast "What IS that?" or again fondly "Ahh, cleanser" and my mind clings to it. If no one is around to force my hand in this choice, it tends to be done according to my mood or energy levels. The more tired I...

Dilly-Dally in Dilli Haat

I don't know why I expected to be seen by someone I know here. That sensation of anticipation - a mixture of excitement and fear - flooded my senses when a woman's body loomed over me. Ultimately she was just pointing at a booth in the distance. After Plan B met a dead end (aka follow an Auntie around to learn the ropes of bargaining) due to an uninspired role model, I returned to the idealistic movements that I was too hot and tired to carry out moments prior. Sometimes it takes a middle-aged woman to wake me out of my stupor. I tried to get the wooden, snake-biting-your-finger box for my new friend, but the boy selling it said that it was 100rs and the Styrofoam letters with their pastel colors seemed to dance as they taunted of the "fixed price" so I smiled and walked off. Thus, quest for the journal was back on. Not quite sure how much I'd like to pay for it, but remember that at Sapna it was something like 150. I stop at a stall just befor...

Ignorance and Skepticism

I woke up from an evening of time to rest by myself, having set an intention to go check out a yoga studio and then a museum. I took my time with breakfast, lazing around with Zorro - my new best friend // 13-year old Dachshund - so didn't really start moving until far after the ideal time to scoot. Scrolling through dozens of events for the evening to find one suitable, getting irritated with the internet, then listening to an amalgamation of inspirational songs to get up out of the house, I made for the Lotus Temple around noon, with plans for a detour at Nehru Place to get a phone charger. Lotus Temple Determined footsteps took me near to the destination, but my wandering soul took some side steps through a neighborhood on the way. I thought about gates and parks (of which there was arguably a disproportionate amount given the population density and context), and about a Malcolm Gladwell podcast I'd recently listened outlaying the demons of golf. Essentially a marker ...