It was May 2010, my graduation month
when I packed my bags and bid farewell to the city of St. Louis the city where
I spent 2 great years of b-school life, the first city which began to feel like
home away from home. Now for the first time since leaving St. Louis, as I sign a yearlong lease and look to settle down in a new
home a bitter sweet feeling hits me –
no more uncertainly of where I will be
few months later; but also no more exhilaration of exploring a new culture...
...no
more packing-moving-unpacking my whole caboodle over and over again (which if I
count, I did 8-9 times over the last two years); but then no more globetrotting…
...no
more grief of saying goodbye to friends; but will also lose the sheer delight
of talking with and listing to stories of complete random people…
...no more
anxiety of adjusting to a new place; but along with that no more fervor of
discovering surprises in a new neighborhood…
***
Though my nomadic lifestyle lasted for
just two years, looking back feel gratified with the plethora of unforgettable
experiences and friends accumulated…sitting down trying to write something about them makes me
wonder what has these two years taught me. A whole Friday night spent pondering
makes me come up with a hypothesis and with the risk of making this post a bit too
philosophical I share it here...
Two years ago a peep in my mind
would have revealed a self talk which goes something like this…
“…If I accept certain aspects of my life which I don’t like,
things about others that bother me, inefficiencies of the world that are not
fair then somehow I wouldn’t be motivated to change them in a positive way. It
will be like resigning to fate…things will remain the way they are…things will
remain wrong…”
My premise was, history can vouch,
weather it was an inventor or a leader, people who really made a big difference
to the world were those who challenged the conventional wisdom.
But after living in two contrasting
cultures – closed and cold Russia as well as warm and friendly Brazil –
adjusting to the different schools of thought, languages, practices and belief,
I conceive…
“…Acceptance is not resignation, failure, or agreement; it's
simply telling the truth and allowing things to be as they are. When we accept
ourselves, others, and life -- we can create a real sense of peace and let go
of much of our suffering. And, from this place of peace and truth, we're more
able to not only appreciate life, but also to manifest the kind of
circumstances, relationships, and outcomes we truly want…”
I have come to realize that even
though it can be scary and counter intuitive at times, acceptance is the first
step in transformation and not a roadblock to change, a change for better!
***
After
a conflux of emotion and memories metamorphosing my attempted entertaining story
to an introspective essay, I will abide by the adage…a picture is worth a
thousand words…
Fantastic post! "even though it can be scary and counter intuitive at times, acceptance is the first step in transformation and not a roadblock to change, a change for better" - very deep and very true. thanks for sharing! Here's wishing you all the best in this new a-little-less-nomadic phase of life.
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