Our final stop in India was Udaipur, the city of lakes. Our new configuration of three, once Hope arrived, slowed our pace and allowed us to focus on visiting with each other, which had the wonderful effect of grounding us in the reality of India at a time when we might be rushing to do more/see more.
We are now in London finishing a twelve hour layover, about to start the next long flight home to California. I had a surprisingly emotional goodbye to India the moment we got in the taxi to go to the airport. In a flash I felt the depth charge of my experiences here, and felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend I would not see in a long time.
I am counting on mother time to help me integrate all that I have seen and experienced on this trip. I have fought (with myself) for the freedom to be naive in order to make room for the knowledge that comes from the five senses. Most of my experiences went straight through my eyes, nose, ears, and hands, and then straight to my soul, as the research filters I might have employed were purposefully minimal. It helped me see the hugeness of the sphere we all inhabit, in the light of the small and rarely overlapping circles that define our place and sense of purpose in our short time here. Witnessing the core needs that so many people do without here, (clean water, fresh air, shelter, gender equality) caused my preoccupations, worries, and wants to completely vaporize, in a big blast of shame. I am sure they will all come flooding back in their own time but I hope to hold onto the clarity I have about how incredibly blessed I am to be so comfortable and safe, to be able to engage in a field that I love, and to have such richness in my relationships with family and friends.
It is a New Year for OUR sphere and my personal hope is for the continued growth of my circle, and for cultivating a greater appreciation for the magic that can come from overlapping circles.
I am very grateful to friends and family who helped me BE here. It was not easy, and I could not have done it without your support.
Namaste.
