I totally agree with Sigmund Freud
However, I'm single and I don't have a paid job and yet I'm pretty damn content. I'm a happy chappy.
And here's why:
- Yoga my saviour
- Where is the love
- Why you gotta love the Irish
- Can someone please make me bad again?
- The end of Namaste Mister Kris
Phase 1: Everybody wants to hear your stories, see your tan and it's cold. Happy.
Phase 2: Everybody is too busy to see you and it's still cold. Lonely.
Phase 3: You are too busy......it's still cold. Back in the west and you just get on with it.
OK I'm exaggerating. It was actually quite warm for my first few days back. I was even doing yoga in the back garden thinking maybe I'd been wrong about the weather in Ireland. I only got a few days before the cold grey skies returned but it made it a whole lot easier.....
Despite Ireland being one of the most friendly countries in the world it's still full of people driven more by work than life and I found Phase 2 from the above quite difficult. I chose to come back to the west but coming back is never easy. It might seem a bit of a joke that people coming back from travelling find it hard but they do. I'm lucky as I've got friends, a disciplined yoga practice and lots of projects to keep me busy but I'm still going through a culture shock. One month on.
About 15 years ago I was sent a promo tape from Outcaste Records. My life revolved around two desires 1) to get rich and 2) to get laid. I had no interest in India apart from maybe hitting the beaches and clubs of Goa but that tape changed everything. Click here and skip the ad for a music themed blog post ;)
Music is incredibly powerful and 15 years later I was working in India with a Hindustani Classic Music school and hanging out in the same music social circles as Nitin Sawnhey. I was living in India and witnessing a love I'd never felt before. So, when I say I'm still in culture shock the main thing I miss is love. India offers it on a plate. It's something that modern western society is losing through breaking down community values. When is the happiest the west has been in the last century? World War II; when we all shared common values for our side and grouped together in union knowing that today could be our last day. In the '21st century today' we live for our own ego with little thought about the present. In India things are changing but community values are still driven through a spiritual practice and (fortunately for now) a lack of exposure of material goods. It might look like a mad crazy country but love is being shared in a completely different way.
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I didn't like being back for the first few weeks. I've spent way too much time on my own glued to my laptop screen applying for jobs and connecting with people I was missing around the world yet everyday I woke with a celebration and a brighter appreciation of life than I've ever had before. That's because I have memories like these.......
Friends and strangers were kind to me in my first few weeks. Bad stuff came along including my mum getting weaker but little things helped me keep strong:
- The day my heating/water system broke and my plumber spent 45 mins on the phone guided me through the procedure and didn't charge me
- The day that the motor tax official spent 1 hour sorting my appeal to be let off for €2k worth of backpayment despite numerous other staff telling me I'd have to pay it
- The day my phone broke and a friend posted me their old iPhone
- The day I discovered Derek!
So right now I' m in Phase 3, I'm a happy chappy and feel as if I'm living life like a monk. I wake up at 6am and do yoga 6 days/week, I get excited if it's a good 'drying day'. A big night out for me is a cup of tea and some jaffa cakes chatting with an elderly neighbour. My diet is amazing, I feel super healthy and fit but part of me would like some toxins. I need someone to corrupt me. Even if it's just a cup of coffee. Right now I feel sick when I have a cappuccino, my body is too squeaky clean. Although travelling alone brings it's own rewards and challenges I think it's shared experiences that really stick in the memory. I'd like to start sharing some stuff and maybe start with a mild blend.
On that note, time for reflection and a cup of tea. Below was my last chai in Delhi :)
Did India change me? Why don't you decide by meeting me for a cup of chai or reading one of my favourite blog posts below. I think my big change is awareness. I'm aware of love.
In the last 18 months (links).....
- Tantric 2+1
- Get roofied with ketamine
- I get lost in a cult
- Shower with two snakes
- Get bitten by a rabied dog
- Meet the most amazing people
- Complete Vipassana - 10 days of silence, each day with 10 hours of meditation
Namaste Mister Kris was great fun and I hope it will persuade some of yea to go to India. Now to persuade you to try yoga .......next blog on www.suitedyogi.com
I feel blessed to have spent my time in India and experienced the things I did. I have never felt so much love as I've felt in the last 18 months. It's been amazing, thanks for reading and see you on the next trip.
xx
