The World is a Place to Find Yourself

I was born with a disease which can prove to be a big deterrent in ones journey towards exploring the world. Thanks to this disease, I used to dread stepping out of home, into cars/buses or planes. If there was no choice and I had to travel, I had to plan meals and backup options, days in advance. During the dreaded journey itself, I used to try and sleep for as long as I could. God forbid, if I was awake even for a while, the attack was just seconds away. Simple as it may sound but those who suffer from this disease can easily relate to how miserable it can make one feel. Fortunately for me, today, I am no longer ashamed or sorry to say that I suffer from one of the world’s most common disorders, “Motion Sickness”.

Thanks to this disorder, for years, I have preferred to live my life in the small confines of my city. I have made myself believe that waking up at odd hours and staying away from my children would have never excited me. I have concluded that I have a beautiful life and it wasn’t possible to make it more beautiful. Nonetheless, in spite of my hatred for travel, I have been forced to endure it, sometimes for work and sometimes on the insistence of my husband, who for some surprising reason would still prefer my company than any of the most handsomest of males we have in our team.

I started my latest travel for work, 2 days ago. As always, I was complaining and trying to find a way out of this travel. But alas there was nothing more important, than the travel itself, that came up and I forced to fly. This time, the one thing that made me look forward to travelling was the fact that in addition to work, I could spend some cozy hours snuggling in the blankets at my Moms house. In spite of the winter chill, Delhi was warm with the hugs and love of friends and family. Good food, shopping and working made the days just fly by. As I sat down in the taxi back towards the airport, I realized travelling was not that bad. It had actually been fun.

Chugging a heavy bag full of goodies from my mom, I thought I had never felt lighter in life. I was slowly starting to enjoy travelling. Each new place with its new weather, food, people and discussions offered me a tweeny weeny new insight about myself. At the airport, I managed to peek into all the shops and smile at all the sales people offering goods I didn’t need but I still wanted to touch and feel. I checked out the clothes of men and women, trying to guess where they came from – Hyderabad, Mumbai, Calcutta or Raipur? As the transfer bus halted to a stop just near our plane, I mused at how everyone jumped towards the bus exit. What was really the rush to get out from one cramped transport into another? I guess that just rushing from one moment to another moment gave humans an innate sense of purpose. The fact that we are busy forces us to believe that we must have something really important to do with our life. So what, if we don’t know what that purpose is, right now.

I am happy that I am one of the last few to board the plane. I am in no rush. I am pretty sure that the crew will not leave a single passenger on the tarmac. Finally I manage to sit down comfortably in my airplane seat (luxuries of having short legs). To my delight, I am surprised to note that I even have live entertainment available in the domestic flight. There are two young girls just on the seat behind me and I am forced to listen to their conversations. I cannot help but smile throughout the journey. Through their vivid narration of their lives, I get to live the experience of one of theirs first kiss and her breakup, one month, thereafter. My head reels a little as she quickly moves from one sweet boy to another handsome boy in quick succession. When her friend asks her what would be the foremost quality that she would want in her husband, her prompt candid response was “Rich”. The airplane ride is bumpy and the pilot has put the seat belt sign on. I am not worried about landing safely. I know the pilot will have to worry about that. The only worry that I have on my mind  today is trying hard enough, so as not to turn back and look into the eyes of this little girl.

Travelling, in a way, simplifies life. While we might be worried about catching the flight and reaching the meeting place on time; thanks to travelling we manage to distance ourselves from the larger worries that we live in our homes day in day out.

The more I see outside, the bigger the window in me becomes

The farther away from home I go, the closer I feel to it

The more love I carry, the lighter my heart feels

Life after all is a journey wherever we might be