I suppose, for me, life is mostly about trying to find the serene amidst all the chaos and ups and downs. Some days and some places, this practice is more difficult than others. North India is one of those places. It shoves all that chaos right in your face and puts it on spin cycle, with its extremes and it’s non-decibel regulated horns. Ugh.. It’s my last few hours in India and let’s say, I’m having a difficult time finding the serene, here in Jaipur. The north of India is so very different from the south. Cities are so much more full on than the villages. Maybe you can tell, I’m having a rough day. It goes along with being in India. There are the amazing ones and then suddenly, there are the difficult ones, both being full on extremes.. Maybe I’m feeling sad because I am leaving. I know I am irritable because I’m not feeling well and now I just returned to my guesthouse to rest, but there is a screaming baby outside my door.. Oh India, testing me for the last few hours, making my practice very difficult and never dishing out the expected..
I remember, I wrote before I left.. There is one thing to be expected in India and that is, the unexpected.
My parting words are of love and once again, I want to thank Mother India for all she is and has.. As I sat on the back of the bicycle rickshaw today, I did find some serene. The stillness within the loudness, the chaos and the dust. I sat with the wind in my hair and smiled.
Samia Shalabi is a Seattle based artist & designer, yogi and traveler who has roots in the Middle-East, was raised in the middle-west and is drawn to India. She has a degree in geology, has traveled all over the world with a backpack, and believes in following her dreams. Samia does yoga most mornings, enjoys walks around Seattle, loves to laugh, and daydreams about where to travel next. She is working on a movie shoot in France.
