What I learned about myself in India
When I was in India last month, I realised how little I really need, how so much stuff is really just a distraction from who I really am and what I really want.
When I was in India, I saw myself as I would like to be because everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and greeted me with a smile first. I felt appreciated, but more than that, I felt accepted for who I was, as I was.
Whilst I was there, I came to see I could be myself; I could be warm and open with everyone I met, and tell them my "good name" and where I was from. I felt I did not have to pretend to be anyone other than who I really was, and that who I was, in that moment, was enough. And because who I was was enough, I could see my best self revealed; someone who was interested in the wider world, in the people I met, in the beautiful architecture and vibrant sights and sounds of the country.
However long I spent with people was enough, and I could trust and follow my intuition to lead me to discover and experience a wonderfully rich country for myself.
I didn't need jewellery, material possessions, or very much else, and yet I was happy with what I had and what I experienced.
Having been back for a few weeks, I have come to realise that until now I had left a part of me in India; the authentic me that I discovered during my time there, and that the full impact this trip has had on my growth and development as a person, is only beginning to become clear to me now.
It's as if I left my spirit, or my soul, behind for a while, to give me time to return to my everyday life and to make space within myself for the person I am becoming, that person I could see so clearly during my time in India.
My hope is to retain that feeling and sense of my true identity for as long as possible.
Telling my story is just one of those ways of keeping that authentic self alive, and being true to my best self, that person I could, and want to be.
Lynn
