What I'm Thankful For

I'm thankful for the opportunities that I have found for myself as I grow to become someone that I would want to admire.

I'm thankful for the support that has been given to me as I struggle to embark on each of my journeys. I only wish everyone could feel as grounded by their loved ones.

I'm thankful for the perspective that has been forced upon my life. I was lecturing the other day to my students about my accident, when it actually came out of my mouth... I am fortunate to have had such an accident and the ramifications therein. Otherwise, I would never be able to see the world with all of its beauty and grace-- the way that I do now.

I'm thankful for the power of now. I take a lot of pride in only worrying about the present, there is little energy to be given to the past, or the future for that matter. Now is the only reality that we have.

I'm thankful for everyone in my life that has taken the time to reflect only to say , "I love you", either verbally or visually stated.

Tickets and Visas and Subs... Oh My!

This week was equally as productive as it was stressful. The outcomes, however, made all the difference in my ability to break the news to my classes and swimmers that I was going to miss two weeks of their immediate lives.

I purchased 2 airline tickets on Monday, after attempting to graciously accept frequent flier miles from an extremely wonderful parent of one of my students. As it turns out, accepting those miles would have ended up costing me more money than simply paying for the stinkin' Continental flight that I had reserved before. Therefore, Graham and I will depart the US on December 17th after meeting in Newark to layover and reunite for a few hours.

After almost scaring me to death over the complications of his visa, Graham has secured his visa and is ready to go. I am pretty sure that if he knew the massive issues that Sarah had with obtaining her visa in June, (if you don't recall... having to cancel flights, sit in the Indian Consulate in Paris for days, and arriving a day late) he wouldn't have played such a cruel joke on me.

As far as school goes, I have a remarkable master teacher prepared to take over my classes while I am gone. She is not only a pro at biology, but she is a pro at long-term subbing... which if you don't have the pleasure of knowing, is an art in and of itself. I am still plugging away at getting all of my lessons set for those days I will miss. But I have to say, I am pretty excited about finding a way to keep in contact with my classes, whether it be through an online discussion board or even in real time-- if I can make it a whole night without sleeping (due to the 11.5 hour time difference).

Aside from all this madness, I am trying to make sure to take time to check in with my body. It is going through a lot of changes lately, probably sensing the anticipation of going back to Green Park. I am experiencing a lot of sensory fireworks. It absolutely feels like my nervous system is trying desperately to make a connection, any connection at that. I feel tingles and aches and pressure and fire and water all within the same instant.

My body is trying to tell me something and hopefully another dose of India will break its silence once and for all.

Trying to Figure It Out

As the days seem to have a hard time deciding what season it is to be here in Colorado, I am frantically trying to finalize my plans so that I can stop freaking out and start focusing on what matters most: 1) Making sure my kiddos are all safe and sound and tucked in as I bid, "namaste" to them in the next month or so, and 2) Getting all of my plans arranged so that there is actually a "namaste" to be bid!

So far, here is what I know...

I am learning that due to the timing of my upcoming trip that I will probably not be able to use any reward miles to secure a reasonable flight. Therefore, I am in the process of applying for a new credit card to pay for the stupid thing! My beautiful friend, Jenn, is helping me out with flights. She has sicked her aunt's travel company on it and hopefully will devour this task in no time at all.

I also know that I have a super companion to accompany me this "go-around", my conveniently transient friend Graham. He is starting a blog that you can access on the side bar of this page... please check it out, once he starts writing. I sure hope he knows what he is getting himself into! Actually, I am pretty confident and excited to have him as a travel buddy seeing as we are equally ineffiecient travellers with an outstanding lack for a sense of time. He is attempting to persue his passion for public health studies and trying to stay on a more permanent basis in India or thereabouts. I am very excited for him to discover all that India has shared with me and all that it has taught me about my own discovery of self.

More to come...

Here It Goes Again!

It looks like, with small twist of fate and some extremely loving individuals, I will be returning to Delhi a lot sooner than I ever thought.

I will be embarking on my second trip to the Green Park Hospital, a masterpiece of a place-- conducted by none other than Dr. Geeta Shroff, Dr. Ashish Verma, and an extraordinary cast of others.

This decision would have never been made without the unconditional blessings of the department coordinator and the principal at school. I have no idea how to tell them how appreciative I am to have their well-wishes and be privy to their beautiful hearts. I couldn't imagine another scenario where they reacted more supportively, more compassionately, or more genuine. Thank you, thank you.

From all of the wonderful fund-raising that was held for me last spring, I am fortunate enough to have some left-over funds saved to put toward this journey. If I were to ask for anything (and you should all know by now that this is my least favorite part of all this), I would ask for people who may have or may know someone who has extra frequent flier miles lying around to send those my way. Actually, I am not even sure that it is really an option, being "holiday blackouts" and all. I have no clue what I am doing. Last time that I did this, I had EVERYTHING figured out well in advance... and now I see myself, just a little over a month out, and I don't even have a plane ticket or a plan!

Although many of my plans are still up in the air, every part of me knows that this is the right descision at the right time. My body has been talking to me and trying to prove its progress to me through sweating, goosebumps, and deep-touch sensations. My mind and my spirit are ready to continue the exploration of this small part of the world that has changed me ever so much, as well as to continue the exploration of the expansion of my stubborn mind.

I am looking at leaving on or around the 17th of December and will be gone for a month. I will miss Christmas. I will miss New Years. I will miss final exams. I will miss coaching.

But for some extremely nonsensical and poetic reason... it all feels worth it.

A Driving Force

Fall Break is a beautiful addition to my teaching life. A whole week off with Halloween as the caboose, who could complain? Anyways, I decided to take a road trip with my friend Graham who is currently residing in Southwestern Michigan.

This adventure took us through Indiana, part of Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri. I knew that I was going to have a good time exploring a part of the US that I had never known, but I had no idea how it was going to help my unyielding mental tug-a-war.

Somewhere hidden between the blues on Beale Street, the fried chicken and catfish, the colors of fall, and the Ozarks I realized something....

I realized that I am due back in India. My mind and body require it even.

Currently I have no idea about the timing. I know that Dr. Shroff requests that I come in January, but I am still waiting to hear about other options.

I will keep you posted as soon as I know...