Tranquility at the core
We all distinctly remember the first moments of our arrival in USA. The time of the day we landed, our first day, the first week, the first month, the first breakdown, the first breakthrough. All of it is safely stored in our treasure chest of memories. It was probably a long time ago for many, or maybe recently for some, but the turmoil within has always stayed the same. If you’re eager and anxious to get out of it, relax, it’ll eventually pass.
I’m sure most of us will agree that ‘a roller coaster of emotions’ is an understatement of what we’ve gone through. At every turnabout there has been a point where we’ve desired peace deep within us. A tranquil that has been long eluding. We have secretly cried within, we’ve secretly wished we never came here, we’ve secretly wanted to go back to our home country, we’ve missed our close ones whom we left behind in our country. But out aloud, we’ve mostly shown that we are happier than ever to be here in “The USofA”.
We’ve resorted to numerous ways of seeking this tranquil by trying to meet people from our own country, by going to desi outlets, by joining communities on Facebook or attending events hosted for us native desis. You name it and we’ve tried it. And boy oh boy, haven’t we throroughly enjoyed ourselves when at it. Although when we get back to our routine, we tend to miss everything again. Seems like a circle that seems to be going round n round n round.
From personal experience, I feel, connecting with people near and around us, is a better way to seek new experiences and new people. That ways, when we have lesser opportunity to go back and think about what we’ve left behind, we won’t be restless as much. It surely is easier said than done. But taking baby steps is the way to learn to take strides towards where we wish to go.
Here in the United States we have the opportunity to interact with people from varied cultures. That can create possibilities for us to know so much more about how lifestyle, cooking, family bonding, daily practices are followed by people other than those in the US or in India. It’s a huge expansion that we can create for ourselves by this knowledge. Given that we have to majorly follow the lifestyle and pattern of the country we live in (when in Rome be the Romans), it is likely that we’ll imbibe that culture naturally. However, knowing other cultures can go a long way in helping us pick up something fabulous for the overall well being of our families and eventually us. That ways, we will step slightly away from focusing on what was and inch closer towards what is. Nevertheless, we wouldn’t want to miss any chance to get back to our roots whenever possible and trust me, we shouldn’t even miss it.
It’s interesting to observe, how when we’re in the present, our mind does not wander into any sort of turmoil. But the moment we have empty time fractions, off our mind goes into the territory of longing and loneliness. Thereby making constant efforts to be right here, right now is one of the chief ways of absorbing back the tranquil we’re looking out for. Some ways to be here & now, listen to music and try to sing along with it, follow exercise routines, dash out for a quick walk, engage into some creative hobby time, learn a new skill, cook your favourite meal…… you can innovate many more ways that fit and suit your personality type.
The tranquil we desire is something that won’t come to us, but something that we will have to create for ourselves. Sometime the first step to it is ‘accepting’ that this is our present. We may not have wanted ourselves to be out here, or on the contrary we may have always wanted to be here, but never realised how overwhelming it could be, the fact stands that, that’s our reality of today and we have to build ourselves around it. That is the only way we can bring peace within.
Hemakshi Jattani
drhemakshi@gmail.com