Connections

Just finished an  hour long conversation with a former colleague.  It was meant to be a quick tete a tete  to get some career advice but turned into a  fun conversation about everything under the sun. I hadn't spoken to her in a while and she now lives in Colorado- so I was hesitant, and frankly afraid of intruding on her time as she is quite senior to me. But in the absence of anyone else to turn to, I decided to take a risk and text her. Surprisingly she responded almost immediately and didn't just give me advice but also shared some of her similar struggles. The connection was immediate and meaningful.

I think all of us yearn for meaningful connections and sometimes it's a just a matter of overcoming that initial hesitation and reaching out to another person. You will be surprised at where it may lead you and what new friendships you may discover.

Lens

Today, I got to see a part of Mumbai I lived in a few years ago, through the eyes of another person and suddenly it was transformed! From a dusty, crowded, loud space which I  never really considered home, it became a treasure trove of life experiences, sweet childhood memories and lasting bonds between families.

Ratna Pathak- a well known Indian actress and theater personality- grew up in Dadar, Mumbai, and a show on Netflix recently took her down memory lane. With the host she visited the house she grew up in, the parks in Dadar she frequented with friends, and the restaurants she ate at. And as she spoke, she brought that whole place to life with tales from the past. I found myself drawn into her narrative and yearning to go back and see it all just once more. To touch it, feel it, and breathe it- the way she had. That is the power of a new perspective and that is the power of a good storyteller.

Thanks Ms. Pathak for a brief but wonderful encounter with a familiar place, made new through your lens.

Alone

Does not necessarily mean lonely and I am relishing the discovery! Having packed hubby and sunny boy off to India for a month, I am by myself after a long time. There are plenty of plans and aspirations. Mostly around what I know to be un-achievable spiritual discovery and weight loss goals. But whether I do it all, or just some, or maybe none- it is refreshing for the soul to just be.