Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Journey of Self Discovery



What does one do when one is tired of the fast life they are leading?

What does one do when he wants to get away from all the din and fury of the rat race called life?

What does one do when one wants to just unwind ?

What does one do when the mundane is too much to take?

If you are one who is bothered by these questions I would suggest just take a bag with 2 pairs of clothes and set out on a journey.The destination is not that important all that matters is the journey. It can be like meeting friend whom you had not met for a long time, catching up with an acquaintance whom you have only interacted via FB , visiting a new place, visiting a pilgrim center, a place where you had lived earlier or just some random place which you wanted to visit all along and couldn't get time and the like. Just make sure that the journey is long enough that you get ample amount of 'me' time to think and reflect.Taking a laptop or a smart phone is a strict no-no because you will defeat the whole purpose. During the course of the journey it is natural that you will be exposed to the elements which is in a way good because the thought of dealing with it would keep your mind occupied. You would be rudely thrown out of your comfort zone from the air conditioned workplace and your cosy bed to high temperatures and rickety seats of buses/trains. Since it is an unplanned trip things are bound to go wrong and that is the fun of it.

For those few days you will not worry about the deadlines to meet at work,the everyday responsibilities of your home and all and sundry. Your thoughts would go like where do I crash for the night, what would be the game plan if I get stranded in a big city at the dead of the night ,what if I oversleep and miss my early morning train back home owing to the exhaustion thanks to the incessant traveling of the past few days and what would be the backup plan then. People might wonder what is the use of all this if you still can't stop worrying but that is my point. It is an adult man's inherent nature to keep worrying, you just need to give your mind new things to worry about. Believe me guys it works and when you come back you are changed person.

I just undertook a journey where I traveled roughly 2000 miles(approx 3000kms) in about 4 days .It was to a city where for the first time I lived on my own after leaving the comforts of my home at the very beginning of my career. I met up with a close friend of mine after 6 years who had been my roomie at that time and spend some quality time with him.The reason to choose such a place could be varied for me maybe it was a personal tryst to make sense of the present that I visited a place in my past . Then I set out in the vicinity to a place I had never visited before and roamed around its streets with an acquaintance. When I came back to my life I was a changed man. I have to tell you this I have gone on trips before that were meticulously planned with no margin of error . This was a totally different ball game for me altogether and I loved it to the core, it was an enriching experience in totality. I would definitely do it again and also suggest to others to do the same.After coming back I did the math and was astounded to see that 60% of the time I was on the road.

So guys what are you waiting for just pack your bags and leave will ya!!!!

Happy tripping!!!!!!