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

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...

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 ...

Ramayana Performances

I wanted to wait until we had seen the all of the scheduled renditions to write a post about the Ramayana performances. First of all, by the time we arrived to India, all of us were encouraged to have familiarized ourselves with the story. To ensure this knowledge was set, the beginning of the second week we had a pre-dinner "Ramayana Party," with a plethora of deliciously appetite-spoiling snacks, in which we all squeezed in to one of the single rooms and attempted to collectively recount the tale from beginning to end. Turns out that is difficult to do in one hour! With everyone having read or taken in different translations, it was really cool to put all the wide pieces together. I read a beautiful copy by Ranchor Prime, the Wikipedia summary and a couple of us had watched a children's animated movie. Anu had heard the story since she was little, so she had a lot of different parts to add, and there was also a graphic novel, feminist interpretation called "Sita...

India Travel Summer 2017

Search This Blog