An Year in Bangalore

And, what an year it's been.

                               

This is an exercise I normally do when I'm at the end of a diary, like a recap into the diary period in terms of experiences, phases, perspectives, insights, lessons....... It's an interesting thing to do.

I'm doing it now for an year in Bangalore, and it's so flush with new experiences and learnings, that what comes to mind foremost is primarily that deep gratitude to everything and everyone that enabled that.

It's been a lot of firsts.....and firsts definitely bring in their wake a lot of tough and trying times....and then also new highs and joys 

Starting from driving down to Bangalore .... last year same day...just Diksha and me. My lesson started right there. I'm asking this friend to drive down with me, saying I wouldn't be allowed to do it alone, and what I get back in return is...."where did the word 'allowed' come from". And that was the beginning of a deep layer of de conditioning. I threw the word out that day, and have never since let it back in. Thanks there pal.

Finding the bestest house possible, and this was where it was again putting to practice a lesson learnt. Once the objective is clear, focus on the process. After two weeks of looking at more than fifteen houses, I was upset and depressed wondering how I was going to find the right place. And I woke up the next morning to put in place the right process. Sat on a borrowed laptop for an hour, listed out 16 brokers, hired a car for the day, and set out at 9 am with a list of almost 50 houses, and at about 4 pm I'd found it...the bestest possible house :)

SELCO has of course been one amazing experience, which I have been writing about fairly consistently. Even yesterday, I walked out of office after a wonderfully satisfying day, fully energized and ready to take on what today seems near impossible. (A target of 45 energy entrepreneurs by end of year, and six months down I've done only 5). Gratitude there to SELCO and all those I work with.

Travel has been crazy extensive,  what with trips to Mandya, Jaipur, Goa, not once but twice, Pune, Bijapur, Belgaum, Udipi, Coorg and finally Bihar.... between work and personal, it's been at one time unnerving and thrilling. 

At a little more abstract level, the biggest thing I guess, was learning to live alone, which started with questions, skepticism, fear and slowly grew to appreciation, joy, love and again deep gratitude. Diksha moving in with me was real bonus, because we've cracked space and acceptance and bonding at an altogether different level. Coorg on the road, or home at Bangalore....great ride Deech.

And cooking, I did my own cooking for the first ever time in life, never liked it enough to do it on daily basis.......but with music and a glass of wine, found it's not that bad (well mostly).

Music and Reading have re entered life in a big way, and am I glad. 

It's not to say, it's all been ups and joyous. I've had some crazy down moments, those moments of intense loneliness that hit you without warning, times when I've broken down at a traffic signal because I had so many things to do and this feeling of having to do it all alone overwhelming me....and I guess that's the space that posts like 'self-pity' 'handling stress' 'we are our own biggest obstacles'  came out of. Huge learnings there. 

And one right on top would be this blog itself. I'm so so so grateful to this friend for having pushed me to write about my first SELCO trip to Mandya, as thus started this wonderful journey of blogging,......of expression, articulation and growth.  It's almost like my Hobbes :)

Also to all my friends who've just been there for me. Girija, who is always just that call away and so encouraging of all that I do. Vishakha with who I have at least two calls a day......a sync that's so perfect that we wonder why other equations can't be like that. Sujatha, who I've gotten to meet so many times since moving here. Luckily, the list is kind of longer, but I'll suffice a heartfelt thanks to all the others on my what's app mode. You guys know, right!

Oh yeah, and my blog readers...especially Mountain Dweller who's been there since the beginning but remained this brilliant mystery. I love how you think....and one day I'd like to know who you are...the mystery is nice and all, but still :)

And Vineyard Grapes and Mars for not just reading, but keeping those comments coming. And of course the others too...Eunice, Kusuma, Kiran, Annapurna, Sagari, Pavithra,Nakul, and all those I don't know. 

And Family ....... Parents, Praveen, Others....Ravi, Dhruva...Diksha. Especially, my Parents...... leaving Hyderabad, with them there, was one of the most heart wrenching things I've done, I think for them and for me

I know this sounds like a vote of thanks....but guess it's in a way what it is...an expression of deep gratitude.

Bottomline....... I wouldn't change a single facet of where I am today. Huge risks...Huge gains worked for me :)