Mind – Meditate

I am a terrible meditator. I’ve gone to sessions where thoughts continue to bombard my mind and when I take sneak peak around, everyone seems to have reached bliss. What I needed to realize was that other’s ability to meditate didn’t matter and keep practicing.

The idea of meditation has been pontificated about so much that for many of us, it seems out of reach. For me, it’s hard to drown out the daily rigamarole with silence. There is so much noise, how do you mentally tune it out.

I’ve tried guided transcendental mediation with a repeating mantra a few times. It was always so hard to clear my mind of thoughts though I’d have passing moments of deep connection with my body and the universe.

Ironically, I found a website/ app for that called Calm.com. You select 2, 10, and 30 minute sessions of guided practice with your choice of natural sounds in the background. Perfect during a commute to work or when you need to tune out.

Meditators out there, please contribute any tips in comments.

Body – Get Outdoors

Nature is a beautiful and inspiring place. I’m so excited to adventure around the West Coast to get outdoors and experience the surf, sand, mountains and desert.

For me, being outdoors on a hike or bike ride isn’t just physical exercise, but provides a connection and appreciation for the physical world around us. After a hectic DC day, I would take a bike ride to release, recharge and take in a purplish pink sunset skirting along the Potomac River. It’s a space and place to be grateful and maybe a form of meditation for me as well.

Soul – Be A Tool (not that kind of tool!)

In India, Swamiji would always say that we are only tools or instruments in which the divine works through us. In the symphony of life, we each have our own talents and notes that we play and together make beautiful music, but those talents aren’t our own, they are given to us.

Sadhvi Bhagawati said that a microphone doesn’t boast about what a great speech it gave because the mike is simply the vessel through which the words were amplified. This lesson is really about ego. Ego distracts from the task at hand and disrupts the flow. I was very grateful to learn this lesson in India as it helped me recognize the value that everyone brings to the table and to respect that.

Work – Be Patient

We all get frustrated or have bad days when we’re working with someone who asks a stupid question and you want to verbally rip their head off. I was on the receiving end of this when I first began working and it destroys your confidence.

Resolute in mentoring instead of being masochistic, I tried to approach these situations with teaching instead of temper. Tearing someone apart may make you feel good to blow off steam, but it breaks down the barriers of trust and communications.

Being in PR, I want people to come to me with the good, bad, ugly and even stupid. It’s more time and more patience, but you’re in the loop which is the most important aspect.

No one is perfect though, see an example of my impatience of yesteryear here. Mom, I’m sorry for the swear words.

Life – Say YEP! Say Yes, Embrace Your Environment, and be Proactive!

Around 25, I felt stagnant with a wave of college friends leaving DC to travel abroad and settle in cities like San Francisco. I found myself so happy when visiting SF and always left a piece of my heart there. On one plane journey back, resolved to experience more in the place where I actually lived, I made three commitments: to say yes to everything, embrace DC and be proactive.

Changing my mentality changed everything. My friend Lucy and I started meeting new people in DC’s art, culture and music scene and found ourselves out every night. So now, regardless of the place, I try to say yes, embrace my surroundings and be proactive because you never know the adventures awaiting you out there is this wild world.

Love – Love Yourself

A wise 30 year old with gray hair once told me that you gotta love yourself first and foremost. A famous swami in India said that you cannot give if you are not full yourself. It’s advice that fills many self help books and that is because it’s true.

At times, I’ve forgotten it in the self loathing throes of a break up or lost myself in a relationship with someone else.

This mantra runs through many of the other lessons that I’ve written about from following your passions to looking on the bright side of life and doing your best everyday. Hopefully by being mindful of all the lessons, I’ll remember that I’m in a relationship with myself first and foremost and “you gotta love yourself.”

What do you think about the list so far?

With three days to 30, it’s crunch time to bang out my 30 Things to Remember in My 30s series, but I tend to work better under pressure anyway.

So with that, here is the third of a five-part series to celebrate the past 30 years and list 30 lessons that I’ve learned – and, more importantly, need to keep learning for the next 30 plus years.

Each post will feature lessons for the mind, body, soul, work, life, and love. Please share your own in the comments section!

Mind: Be Calm

While the old WW2 slogan, “Keep Calm and Carry On” has lost some panache plastered on wallets, notebooks, and everything else, the saying is spot on. When our minds are frantic, our reactions reflect that mental state.

During my time with Pujya Swamiji at the Kumbh Mela, he said that the most precious space is that time between your thoughts and action. It is in that space where you determine your reaction. If a thought is a seed, the space is when you water that seed with either hate or love before it sprouts into the world. Everyone has a short fuse sometimes, but just remember what you put into the world, you get back from it.

Body: Eat My Vegetables and Drink Water

Growing up, every mother becomes a broken record saying eat your vegetables and, in our youth, we roll our eyes and think, “oh mom.” Well she’s right. While on the road this past year, I gained a whole new appreciation for vegetables. In some places like Africa, the primary meal is meat and starches and, in most, raw vegetables like a salad was just asking for stomach trouble. Now that I’m back, it will be great to get back into the kitchen to enjoy nature’s bounty and all the healthful benefits that come with it.

Adults are about 65% water and the more we drink, the cleaner our bodies become. I don’t drink enough water, but given this tip is in every health magazine, it must be a challenge for everyone else as well. A good tip, that I read from The Biggest Loser’s Bob Harper, was to drink a large glass of water before every meal which hydrates and takes the hungry edge off that causes us to overeat. Now there’s an initiative to get more H2O!

Soul: Be Helpful

Everyday, we’re bombarded with television ads asking for donations and beggars on the street asking for help. We can feel like problems are too big and we are to small to rectify them. But if everyone just did one act of kindness a day, imagine the impact and the domino effect with kindness being passed along to others.

On helping others, a buddhist monk once said that the right hand never hesitates to accompany the left hand in a task. Hands will naturally respond because they depend on each other to get through life. We are all hands that must work together to build a better world.

Work: Your Time is Valuable

At a full-time job, you will spend a third of your life working if not more. Make the most of it and don’t waste valuable time doing something that you hate. I’ve gone through periods of feeling uninspired, unappreciated, and frustrated. It may be something you address with work or maybe you need to leave that job and find a place that values you and your time. That’s all we have in life so why spend a third of it miserable behind a desk. This leads us to the next “thing”….

Life: Follow Your Passions

A few years after starting work in Washington, DC, the realization hit me that I had no hobbies except living and breathing legislation and political fist fights. That day at 23, I booked a solo trip to Costa Rica to learn how to surf and started to focus on following my passions of writing, traveling, and connecting with people.

While it took ten years before I walked away from that world, the time invested in hobbies beyond work helped me find the courage to pursue what I love. I’ve met so many inspiring people whose passions are now their careers. And even if it’s not a career, passions provide us with an outlet to express ourselves and make the world more colorful. Pursue them.

Love: Don’t Settle

During one relationship in my twenties, I gained 20 pounds over the course of a year. Everyone tends to gain some weight and get comfortable in relationships. But when you settle down, the relationship can become stagnant and you with it!

Now, I haven’t been in a serious relationship in years, but I’m determined in any future ones to keep busy, stay off the couch, and discover new activities with that other person, as well as seek out personal adventures of my own.

The other way of settling is with a person who doesn’t deserve you. We all want love, but don’t sacrifice yourself simply to have someone to hold hands with.

You are awesome and deserve awesome. Don’t settle for less – in work, in love, or life.

What do you think about the list so far? Stayed tuned for more things to remember in my 30s as March 23rd quickly approaches.

So with that, here is the second of a five-part series to celebrate the past 30 years and list 30 lessons that I’ve learned – and, more importantly, need to keep learning for the next 30 plus years. 

Each post will feature lessons for the mind, body, soul, work, life, and love. Please share your own in the comments section as everyone has their own experiences to share! 

Mind: Always Stay on the Bright Side of Life

It’s easy to get bogged down sometimes and see the world through a darker depressing lens. When this happens, take a moment and turn that frown upside down. Whether you see the glass half-empty or half-full is all in your mind. You have the power to turn on the light in your life so don’t waste your time in the dark.

Body: Get Enough Sleep

Just like milk does a body good, so does sleep. As a night owl, who is trying to be a morning person, I find it hard to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every night.

Some of the reasons why sleeping will help me reach my goals are improved memory, more creativity, and reduced stress.  Studies show that sleep gives your mind time to process memories which also results in increased creativity. It also lowers your stress levels and helps control blood pressure.

Soul: If it’s Weighing You Down, Let it Go

Throughout our lives, we acquire a lot of stuff both physically and emotionally. Just like the annual spring purging of those t-shirts from college that you will never wear, it’s important to purge anything weighing you down spiritually because it will physically weigh you down.

Whether it’s with a person or an event in your life, whatever happened is in the past so do what you need to do to make peace and move on… Preferably sooner than getting rid of those boot-cut pleather pants in your closet from high school (I owned a pair. There are pictures, but thankfully this was before digital.)

Work: Speak Up or Shut Up

If you have an issue at work than speak up about it or shut up about it. I realized that some of my time at work was spent speaking to others about problems instead of informing the big bosses. This allowed my frustrations to only build instead of addressing the issues and going from there. With that in mind, I’m learning to have those hard conversations or let it be, let it go, and shut up.

Life – Go With the Flow

On one of the main bathing days at the Kumbh Mela, the largest spiritual gathering in the world, I found myself walking with 36 million pilgrims to bathe in the intersection of India’s sacred rivers. On foot, the masses moved like flowing water. There were stumbles, but as long as you went with the flow, you got where you wanted to go.

This message has been hammered into me this past year by the universe. As a recovering Type A personality and an avid planner, I have to find a way to balance being prepared and being in the present. The path is already there, you just have to walk and follow the signs along the way.

Love – Be Honest

Be honest with your partner and be honest with yourself about your relationships. Connect with how you feel and let it guide you  This is really a lesson that I need to learn as my smile is my shield. While I’m truthful, I don’t talk about my feelings because once words are out there, you can’t take them back. Regardless, I need to put more out there and writing this is a step forward.

What do you think about the list so far? Stayed tuned for more things to remember in my 30s as March 23rd quickly approaches.

In a few short weeks, I’ll be turning 30. This milestone is marked in many folks’ lives with a marriage, mortgage, or a new addition like a pet or a baby. For me, it signals a new chapter set in a new city.

Being on the move this past year, a home base is something that I’m looking forward to in San Francisco. To deepen my ties to a community and build a business doing what I believe in is an exciting way for me to start my thirties. A friend in India once told me that your thirties are when you make happen what you prepared for in your twenties.

So with that, here is the first of a five-part series to celebrate the past 30 years and list 30 lessons that I’ve learned – and, more importantly, need to keep learning for the next 30 plus years. Each post will feature lessons for the mind, body, soul, work, life, and love. Please share your own in the comments section as everyone has their own experiences and lessons to share!

Mind: Read for Fun

When I was eight, I belonged to four different “Book of the Month” clubs. From the Baby-sitter’s Club to the Boxcar Children series, I would hide under my sheets with a flashlight devouring page after page, book after book. In my twenties, as reading emails and everything else consumed my days, reading for pleasure became a passing joy instead of a permanent pleasure.

On the road, I read more this last year than in the past ten years.  Reading opens your mind, sparks the imagination and makes the world more colorful. Keep it up (Kim)!

Body: Get Up and Move

A couple of years ago, I broke my elbow and had a full cast on my arm. Not moving it for two weeks, my right arm was stuck at a 90 degree angle for three months after. While a dramatic example, this is what happens to your body when you’re stuck either on your couch or desk for too long.  Take time out of your day to get up and move.

This is a big one for me because I love my couch after a long day and, somedays, it seems like there isn’t even five minutes to take a break from the computer screen. But, I realized during this past trip to India that making time to move is just as important physically as it is mentally – to clear your mind and create a space to enjoy the present moment.

Soul: Be grateful

It’s easy to let first-world problems overshadow how we view our day-to-day lives. When you start to get frustrated with the little hurdles like a traffic jam or your cell phone constantly dropping calls (T-Mobile!), take a deep breath and realize how lucky you are to have these commodities in the first place.

Take a moment and be grateful for the world around you. Take a moment and notice someone’s laughter, the loving exchange between a mother and child, or a random act of kindness that is humanity at it’s best. Too often these gifts go unnoticed.

Have a moment? Watch Louie Schwartzberg’s speech on Nature, Beauty, and Gratitude at TEDxSF that shows how happiness is truly connected to one’s gratitude for all around us.

Work: Remember your values

Everyone has to juggle the constant struggle of balancing work and life, but if you are grounded by your values, work can’t strip your sense of self. In some professional situations, we find ourselves overwhelmed, overworked and lose sight of why.

A decade ago, I worked in politics because I thought that was how I could help make the world a better place. While my work contributed to making a difference, days spent in political combat distracted from what Washington really needed – a truce, a sense of teamwork not divided by party, and a purpose to promote America’s best interests.

For me, I had to leave to pursue the values that I need in my work and life. My renewed career will focus on bringing people together from all political paths and walks of life to help others.

Life: Do Your Best Everyday 

Ripped from The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz, remember to always do your best! The important lesson is that everyday your best will change, just like the weather or your weight.

Don’t punish yourself or feel guilty about what you didn’t do today, focus on what you’ll do differently tomorrow and know that today, you did what you could.

For example, last night, I spent four hours on the couch napping while switching between HGTV’s Love It or List It and A&E’s Criminal Minds. I could have been more productive, but I needed that chill time and I don’t feel bad about it!

Love: Don’t get Caught Up in Someone Else’s Timeline

In relationships, timing is everything. Where you are in your life and where the other person sees themselves is important and cannot be ignored. Too often, if we really like someone, we get caught up in their timeline and not our own – trying to be on the same page when our hearts are not is like trying to jam a square peg in a round hole.

Time is the most precious thing that we have. Don’t waste it trying to change for someone or letting someone waste their precious time changing for you if it doesn’t feel right.

What do you think about the list so far? Stayed tuned for more things to remember in my 30s as March 23rd quickly approaches.

While most reports about the epic and enormous spiritual festival called the Kumbh Mela are done by helicopter journalists that come in for two days with a pre-determined set of hyped up stories of naked babas or if they’re lucky some sort of minor tragedy that they can use to dramatically mischaracterize an enormous gathering of spiritual people whom they don’t understand or identify with, I had the pleasure and pain of living and learning the lesson of the Kumbh for six weeks in Allahabad, India.

Looking back as I made the 30 hour haul back to the U.S., I realized how hard it was to camp on the silt of a river bank that in the summer is underwater and in the winter retains none of the heat from the day’s sun. The night’s cold is only combatted with blankets and clothing layers as heating doesn’t exist. And when rains come, so does the muddy rivers of water that make their way through your tent – and at one point my office – seeking to rejoin the river, to return to where all the drops become one.

These elements are mixed with dust and the smoke of thousands of fires being stoked to boil the sweet chai tea and to keep the millions warm through the night. Within days, one develops the Kumbh cold, a deep cough accompanied by a constant runny nose. You are surrounded at all times by people – friends, strangers, spiritual guides, and some that wear each of those hats depending on the day and situation – and some wear no clothes at all. There is no privacy and the days of the week no longer exist – only main bathing days and the others in between. It’s hard, but it’s meant to be that way.

The story of the Kumbh Mela is one retold constantly, but what you have to realize is that being there, you’re living the lesson and learning from it. It’s said that the Kumbh came about from the churning of the sea by demons and gods alike for the nectar of immortality. But before that bliss was reached, many other things came up in the process including poison.

When the poison came up, there was despair because if it was left, the whole world would be contaminated but if it was consumed, the poison would be internalized and destroy whomever drank it. So Shiva, one of the trinity of powerful Hindu gods, took the poison and he drank it. But, he didn’t take it in, he held it in his throat and went to a temple in the foothills of the Himalayas where he meditated for the rest of his life to keep it there and keep the world safe.

Well I can tell you that what Shiva did was quite a feat, because being at the Kumbh does churn up many things. And it’s a battle, not between demons and gods, but within yourself to identify how you deal with these emotions of frustration, anger, and exhaustion that come up from the challenges that present themselves.

For me, I realized that, despite walking away from work for a year in an attempt to find balance, I will constantly sacrifice myself, my health, and my happiness so I don’t let people down. I worked 16 hour days for 6 weeks which drove me to near physical and mental collapse.  I realized this and made the conscious decision to go MIA from time to time.

I would travel over the river by boat at sunset and mingle among the akharas of chillum-smoking nagas and sadhus where I found kinship in the music radiating from their tents, and kindness that was in the spirit of giving and learning. It was at these gatherings where my little group of hooligans found ourselves shepherded by saints and enveloped in their teachings.

While I find incredible spiritual fulfillment in service and believe that doing my part to save the world and help others is the reason I’m on this earth, I won’t be whole if I don’t begin to carve time out for myself to ensure that I’m not draining myself.

Everyone at the camp would always ask if I was eating and taking care of myself, but I failed to realize that carving time out of the day for me was just as important as a meal time or sleep because it’s that time when you recharge from within, when you reflect on all the things that have been churned up during the day and how you deal with them in a better way next time.

So the lesson of the Kumbh is really a lesson in life. Sometimes poison comes up and it’s down to you whether you take it in, put it out, or take a moment to deal with that venom so it doesn’t hurt you or others. And than you can take the time to see the joy that we can bring to each other in those wonderful moments that strung together are called life.

I’m currently in Los Angeles to produce an art show and tour for a talented Kenyan artist, Cyrus Kabiru, who is speaking at TED LA this week. Despite the craziness, I’m committed to doing ten sun salutations every day and taking time to do personal writing – because no one is going to carve out the time except for me. Maybe I did learn a few things at that crazy place called the Kumbh Mela after all : )

Namaste my friends.

We began our journey to the main Kumbh Mela grounds at 2am, piled three on a motorbike that would take us only a few kilometers closer before our feet became the only transportation. It was one of the main bathing days when tens of millions of pilgrims come from hundreds and thousands of miles away to dip three times at the intersection of India’s most sacred rivers with the hope of achieving moksha, for one’s soul to be released from the cycle of reincarnation and transcend beyond the physical world after death.

The roads all around the Kumbh’s mega tent-city, which will host more than 100 million pilgrim throughout the two-month long festival, begin to be cordoned off to only foot traffic the night before as rivers of people come streaming in guided by miles of wooden fences. Imagine those lines at Disney World or Six Flags that you snake around for half an hour before boarding a much anticipated roller coaster, now put that in India with muddy dirt roads and millions of people. 

Entering the grounds so early, there was a peacefulness to the surroundings like a calm before the storm. The yellow flood lights peered through an ever-present mist of dust and dirt stirred up by the shuffling of the oldest man taking one of his last bathes to the mother carrying her newborn baby for the first of many lifelong rituals here in India.

Our hope was to catch the running of the Naga Babas, naked and covered in ash, surging at the head of the masses to be the first to take the holy dip as they have for hundreds of years. But, like most things in India, if you hope and plan something, it’s probably not going to happen.

We arrived at Sector Four expecting the major akharas (different sects of holy men and women) to be preparing their chariots for the procession of saints and a flurry of activity, but it was quiet. Apparently, it would not be until the following bathing day on February 10th that they would march.

Onward we walked toward the Sangam, which is the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers to witness the growing crowds and flowing of hundreds of thousands on the singular mission to be blessed in the waters.

I watched every sector of society from saints to tattooed tribal women from the North that looked more Nepalese than Indian emerge dripping wet from the water having completed the task that brought them there.  My friend began to disrobe for a dip, but I stayed back – partially because I didn’t feel connected enough to appreciate the meaning of immersing myself in the water — but also because my spare pants had ripped right through the crotch area earlier and one must be modest in India (just another sign that the time wasn’t right).  

From the Sangam, we walked back to the Avahan Akhara where we found ourselves sitting with a Naga Baba, tending to his fire and chasing off onlookers, who stared too long, with his fire poker. We spent sunrise (Brahma Murat) with him which is considered the most auspicious time when god is on earth.

Unlike the sightseers, we sat as he made chai in a dented tin pot over a fire tendered with the crudely chopped trunks of trees. As the milk came to a boil, he fed the pot and the fire with sugar to sweeten one of India’s more popular beverages. He again offered the fire a taste of chai before serving us in small plastic as fire is said to be the mouth of god and the great purifier.

It finally hit me that I was at the Kumbh Mela, where the masses come together to commune with god and reach a deeper connection in themselves to the divine. And as the sun rose above the rivers of people flowing toward the river, we were blessed by ash and began the long walk home to begin another day of work for the Ganga.

Namaste my friends. Til next time.

2012 was a transformative year for me. I embarked on a whirl-wind world tour which allowed me to push my boundaries, and explore who I am and what I want on this journey called life. My time spent traveling awakened so many passions inside me that I want to pursue and opportunities that I never imagined existed.

With that, I’d like to share that I’ve returned to India. While my last long-form post was from Rishikesh, I’ve actually been home in the U.S. for the past six weeks to spend the holidays with family and reconnect with my wonderful friends. It’s an unexpected turn of events, but that’s life and sometimes, you just have to go with the flow and embrace the adventure.

For the next few months, I’ll be working with the Ganga Action Parivar (GAP) to raise awareness about efforts to clean up the Ganges River (known as the Ganga to Indians), to provide state-of-the-art eco-toilets to the 70% of villages that have none, and pass legislation to protect the river from a slew of toxic threats. The movement brings together India’s most respected spiritual leaders, government officials and business to take care of this precious resource and engage everyday Indians to be a part of the solution.

Part of this work will take me to the largest spiritual festival in the world, the Kumbh Mela, which only takes place every 12 years. More than 100 million Hindus come to the Kumbh where they will bathe at the intersection of three sacred rivers, the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati. You can imagine the environmental impact of so many people living in a sprawling campground, so GAP will be leading the effort to make the festival eco-friendly for the first time ever. We’ll be working on a range of initiatives from proper trash and waste disposal and tree-planting to public service announcements to get pilgrims involved and educated about simple steps toward a cleaner, greener India.

If 2012 was about leaping, then 2013 is about landing and building a life that is based in San Francisco, but that takes me on the road to write, create a microphone for those fighting the good fight, and embark on a few new business adventures on the way.

Therefore, my New Year’s motto (because resolutions are so 2007) is “Makin it Happen.” It can be yours too! I’m happy to share.

I can’t wait to tell you more about this crazy, beautiful roller-coaster that I’m on. While I’ll be writing more travel-oriented pieces for other sites, Leapingintolife.com is really going to dive more into the process of creating the life that you want to lead. It will be more insightful and I’ll be sharing more of my personal experiences that (I’m betting) many people struggle with in their lives.

One of the real lessons that I learned this year was that you are the writer of your own destiny. All the barriers that we think are holding us back from pursuing our dreams are comfort blankets that keep you warm and cozy, but sometimes you have to rip off the sheets, jump out of bed, and say let’s make it happen!

So what are you going to make happen this year?

Namaste my friends.

But more than fifty years, Hanuman has spent his days rowing visitors around the idyllic and picturesque Sanapur Lake, a short scooter ride from the historic ruins of Hampi, India, and set in what feels like the land before time, surrounded by a landscape of boulders. Lifting more than 200 pounds with his teeth in his younger days, Hanuman was the village strong man back in the day.

At the lake, the 73 year-old grandfather is one of those people whose picture shows a thousand moments in every crease and line on his face. One whose wife sends a lovely traditional Indian lunch for a group of strangers to devour amidst giant rocks.

The day this photo was taken, we went out on his traditional bamboo basket boat and he proved his strength as the paddles became extensions of his arms and our amateur attempts were short-lived.

It was one of those days when a stranger becomes a friend. I feel an enormous sense of gratitude for that simple gift that travel gives us.

The Ganga River, Rishikesh, India

With only two weeks left, I find myself reflecting more about the many places I’ve visited over the past 11 months and also, the many rivers I’ve gazed and sailed along the way.

A yoga teacher in Pai, Thailand, said during practice one morning to “let your life flow like a river.” She said not to waste your time and energy fighting upstream and that while the river races and gets rocky sometimes, that is part of life.

A Stream in Koh Chang, Thailand

Travel can show you the world, open your eyes to breathtaking places and your heart to humanity in it’s rawest forms, but more importantly, it gives you the time and space to go with the flow.

A few days ago, I randomly picked up a Paulo Coelho book, Like the Flowing River, which contains an inspiring mix of short stories and random thoughts on life and death. He begins the book with a poem by Manuel Bandeira that I’d like to share with you.

Be like the flowing river,
Silent in the night.
Be not afraid of the dark.
If there are stars in the sky, reflect them back.
If there are clouds in the sky,
Remember, clouds, like the river, are water,
So, glad reflect them too,
In your own tranquil depths.

The Nile River, Jinja, Uganda

Modern life is busy, connected to an electronic leash, with constant pressure to stay that way in order to climb society’s ladder of success. In that frenetic, first world pace, we see hot water, electricity, and internet as inalienable rights. Maybe in some ways, these luxuries magnify what we lack and distract from appreciating the world’s gifts…to take even a moment to be mesmerized by a rainbow or a butterfly’s flutter from flower to flower.

The Inca Trail, Peru

On the river, the day begins at sunrise and ends at sundown. A hot shower is replaced with a bucket of cool water freshly collected through the floor of the bathing hut. Dinner is supplied from the day’s fishing catch, rice collected from paddies nearby, and vegetables irrigated by the river’s runoff. The Amazon, Mekong, Nile and Ganga rivers are each incredibly unique, but all of them are a source of life for those living in their reach.

Every night in several towns along India’s Ganga river, an Aarti ceremony is performed to thank the Mother Ganga for this holy lifeline of water. Every day, there seems to be a different festival celebrating one of the Hindu religion’s million gods and each represent a different aspect of life from Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, to a day committed to remembering and honoring one’s ancestors. Maybe only in the developing world do people with so little, put so much time into appreciating the simple blessings of the world around us.

Ganesh on the backwaters of Kerala

Over the past year, I’ve learned to appreciate so much more my friends and the people I meet, things that I assumed were necessities like hot showers, electricity, internet, and clean drinking water, and the awe-inspiring animals and nature that this world has to offer.

More than anything, I’ve learned to let my life flow like a river. In my former life, I was a planner whether it was what to do for the weekend or the ten year life plan that I made at the age of eighteen to be White House Press Secretary before I was thirty. I realize that tunnel vision focus on the future may have blinded me from seeing other opportunities to pursue my passions in the past. I’m here now, in the present, and ready for this next chapter.

By coincidence, serendipity, or both, I met a man working to clean up the Ganga River – after a bumpy 16 hour overnight journey from Puskar – on the local bus to Rishikesh. I had no idea that I arrived during the celebration of Pujya Swami Chidanand Sarawati’s 60th birthday (who counts the Dalai Lama as a colleague) where he and dozens of spiritual leaders are asking their millions of followers to join in serving the Mother Ganga and protecting her for India’s future.

Through his ashram, Parmarth Niketan, Swami Sarawati has started a non-profit called Ganga Action Parivar. The initiative, to protect this highly revered river that supports more than 500 million people along her banks, is a full-fledged public awareness and action campaign with an ambitious, but achievable plan.

Yesterday afternoon, I walked the two kilometers down a dusty dirt road littered with cows, monkeys, and pigs toward the Swarg Ashram area of Rishikesh to visit the man and learn more about the project. The ashram was buzzing with people and while incredibly busy, Sadhvi Adityananda Saraswati, invited me into her office for a half-hour exchange about Ganga Action Parivar’s work and my journey up to this point. Tomorrow, we have plans to meet over a chai to learn more about her work and the journey that led her here.

We’ll see where the river goes from there.

Shanti Out!

Photo Credit: Ganga Action Parivar

Bombay brought a whole new layer to India with the shine of glamorous Bollywood and impressive architecture echoing the age of art deco and Imperial influence. On the ride from the airport to our budget hotel, in the nice Colaba area where most of the sites and restaurants reside, we drove over the harbor past young Indian couples making out on motorbikes along the concrete boardwalk and no cows. What was this strange place where we had just arrived?

Cosmopolitan, Bombay still retains it’s port city charms with narrow bustling sidewalks, friendly locals, and sights that surely impressed merchants arriving into the Port of India hundreds of years ago. We stayed at Hotel Everest, a budget business hotel with a retro vibe, loud air conditioners, and in the first room, no shower or hose connecting the sink. But, with free WiFi, TV and a convenient location, it was fine for two nights.

A Visit to Historic Leopold’s Cafe

For our first night, it was off to Leopold’s Cafe (made famous by the book, Shantaram, and infamous as one of the sites in the 2008 terrorist attacks). The establishment founded in 1871, gave off a warm, Casablancaish vibe complete with beer towers and overpriced food. At around 11pm, we found ourselves ushered upstairs to a neon lit bar room where you can drink before the bar closes at around 12:30am. Some clubs stay open until 3am, but it’s pricey.

A/C and Non-A/C Menus

A real amusement in Bombay was the two-in-one restaurants that had an air-conditioned area complete with a marked up menu of about 30 rubees (about 60 cents) average on items. The best is the front of the menu says A/C Menu or Non-A/C and I have to say that it is totally worth the extra pennies, especially on a hot, humid day.

Exploring Bombay

We had two full days before my first night train to Goa and did a full sightseeing walk of Bombay’s unique buildings, parks, and sidewalk vendors (Mike bargained for socks). At the Port of India, there was a line about ten Indians long to take photos with us which was a fun experience. Walking down Mahatma Gandhi Road, I pointed out various art deco, Gothic, and Victorian buildings from the Lonely Planet guide and Mike bought a sweet Olympus camera with all sorts of effects which you can see here if you have 3D glasses.

Stealing Some Treasures at Thieves Bazaar (Chor Bazaar)

When the cab dropped us off at the area where Chor Bazaar is located, I thought we were in the wrong place. In my mind, a bazaar is like a market – a tented series of stalls selling all sorts of stuff from terrible souvenirs to pashminas. That is not Chor Bazaar.

Chor Bazaar is a few streets of shops nestled within a huge local commerce section of Mumbai and is filled with antiques (and some impressive knockoffs) which transports you back in time with immaculately carved wooden and stone statues of Hindu gods and sacred animals, retro artifacts from the seventies like a toy yacht that was actually a clever scotch caddie with four delicate glasses hidden under the deck, and old school cameras, compasses, photographs and phonographs.

Entering some stalls, I had the feeling of going through the closet to Narnia in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. A maze of small rooms – each getting smaller as you dug deeper through the stacks of objects. I found the shopkeepers to be very kind, not pushy, and genuinely happy to show off their wares.

I already shared with you the story of the compass, but I also bartered for some East India Trading Company coins with Queen Victoria, King George, Buddha, and Rama, as well as a mongol coin that the young seller claimed was 700 years old. Looking for a miniature accordion, I was shown shining brass horns, drums, and phonographs from back in the day. On our way out, an old man urged us to visit his store which was down a narrow alley and consisted of five shelves of various items. A pendent stood out to me imprinted with an image of Sai Baba, a deeply respected and worshiped religious leader from the 1800s, which I snatched up for 200 rubees ($4).

Mike picked up a 300 year old giant lock with two keys and quite heavy as well as an Egyptian-looking vase. Justin and Sarah bought some coins and a metal figurine. I highly recommend a visit to this authentic escape from the shiny side of Mumbai.

On the Boardwalk: From Bazaar to Beach

After a long day rummaging through hidden treasures, we headed to Chowpatty Beach to watch the sunset. To be honest, the place is more trash-dump than sandy swimming area, but the view shows yet another facet of Mumbai and her masses. The boardwalk stretches along for miles and is a nice spot for a stroll and some people-watching.

Night Moves

That night, we caught a taxi to the Victoria Terminal, a beautiful piece of architecture and hectic intersection of people and trains bound for all over India. Sharing a 2AC cabin, we settled into our section which consisted of four beds bunk style and a small table opposite our blue curtained divider. 2AC is a step down from first class, but comfortable and overnight trains range between 1000 to 2000 rubees ($17-38).

We had bought some Kingfishers on the way to the station and popped them open with a cheers as the train began the more than 600 km journey toward Goa’s gorgeous beaches. Shortly after, we were caught and told by the ticketmaster that alcohol was not allowed. With one last chug, the beers went down the Indian-style drop toilet onto the tracks and, with a 500 rubee fee avoided, we settled into our cubbies.

The next morning, the landscape had transformed into a lush jungle of trees and grassy green fields. It was time to see a different part of India with a slower pulse complete with hippies, trance parties, and a better understanding of the term Goa “freaks.”

Til next time… from Gokarna for my last beach stop of my trip.