Flashback’17 – My wisdom boost year

This year was full of many learning experiences and it started with the most difficult one-death! I had never lost someone very close to me and had never attended a funeral. But, in January I did. Dealing with death isn’t easy but is an essential truth of life. It came 20 years after I was born, but I am glad I have made peace with this truth of life now.

This year marks the ultimate transformation from being a college lad to a working girl. I had my last college trip in Feb to Sikkim, in March we got farewell and by April, done, college life was done! As I write this now in December, I am already working as a content writer for a start-up. This entire phase from June till now was like walking on a patch of hot coal with a smile on.

Why did I miss talking about May above? Because I had the perfect end to my college life as I travelled the entire month. First, I went to Manali, I did my first snow trek and then I came back and visited Ladakh. This entire month of travelling was the perfect way of calming the head down and celebrating the joy of being a graduate before entering the new phase of life.

I think the travel part of May intoxicated me that I couldn’t think of anything but travel. June and July went away in many beautiful treks with my favourite thing-rains! I can relive dancing ‘london thumakda’ in the rain to release some happy hormones on a crappy day.

August bought with it another new experience, my mother’s retirement. 37years of commitment to one job, can you believe that? Now life got serious, I had to quickly shift from my travel mania to finding a new job. And as I did that, I had to consider how to smoothen the shift for mom from being a working lady to being a retired one. The following months were definitely rough but I sailed through only to crash on a big mountain soon.

Crashing onto this mountain could easily be avoided. It is stupid. I still find it weird as to why I did it, but with lot of courage, I finally pen down my stupidity. I liked a guy, had this huge crush on him, and how normally one deals with crushes, I kept to myself. But a new friend insisted on saying it, expressing it and so I did, but not just like that, with a poem!

I penned a poem of my feelings and guess what, received a poem in return. But before you get it wrong, let me tell you the poem received said exactly what I did, my crush loved someone else. That poem is a priced possession now as my crush’s a lazy fellow and not a writer kind for sure.

As I made peace with my emotional stupidity, life got better otherwise. I kind of felt better at my new job. Mom also began living her retired life with ease. Just when I thought everything is getting better I got questioned WHY?

The context of this why being, why I am doing the job, why I am thinking of the masters that I am. I did figure out part answer to this why but hopefully get the full picture soon.

This is the last post of the year. I am travelling to Ranthambore, Rajasthan, India the following week. I hope to find proper answer to my WHY, will definitely come back to post my answer and of course the travel experience. PS: check my instagram @nishanavgire for photos related to my blogs!

December 24, 2017

Flashback – Travel’17

I am grateful that 2017 has proved to be a year full of beautiful experiences. A year where I managed to have 12 trips-some for a day, some for two and 2-3 trips of more than a week. During each trip I had experiences adding different shades to my personality.

I realized my potential in many ways. The very first trip in January to Korigadh tested my patience. I realized which kind of people I cannot travel with, luckily early in year so I managed to avoid them throughout the year. I understood my physical capability in my next trip in Feb to Alang-Madan-Kulang-the toughest range in Maharashtra. I still can’t believe I actually managed walking from Lonavla to Bhimashankar that is 65+ km in April heat. It was a tough challenge with a beautiful outcome. This year for the first time I went for trek, to Vikatgadh, without even an hour’s sleep. It was unbelievable that my body could dance all night and trek the next day, but wuhoo done that too!

For me the people I travel with are of importance too. And this year during my last Industrial Visit to Sikkim, with my then classmates, now batch-mates it proved to be so. Each of them, made me feel so special for being part of this batch of 2017!

I always wished to meet a celebrity not at some event but while travelling. And guess what, I did. I met Namit Das during my trek to Asherigadh in August this year and managed to have a conversation too. He has trekked a few other places and loves to trek and travel. Yayayay, I felt within, standing and conversing with a celeb about travelling on a trek!

I did my first snow trek during my trip to Manali. I realized how beautiful is the feeling when you give. I became a more giving person, I cared less about receiving. This was the total vibe of the trip because of the way the guides and other helping hands received while trekking high in mountains.

Ladakh was never part of my bucket list, because I like to be realistic and I didn’t think it was possible. But this is now gracious the super power is. Before I googled and added it to my list I had experienced it. Blessed is the word Ladakh taught me, the life people have there is difficult, I’ll leave the rest for you to go and physically experience it. I started respecting my life back in Bombay after this trip.

I am happiest when I am travelling. I don’t know how but my happy place is in the moments of learning during travels. This year, when I chose to go Harishchandragadh over one really important function, I knew it that the travel-bug has settled within.

I will rewind and play the flashback travel’17 a million times and never be bored of it. I hope my travel write ups inspire you to go out there and travel. There are many long vacations in 2018, time you start thinking!

December 17, 2017

Flashback – Dec’16

“When asked the question, who in the class can sing? All the hands in the kinder-garden would go up! But as the same question is being asked in classes higher up till class 10, slowly numbers of hands go down. Why? As we grow up we don’t say yes, we understand our comfort zone and dwell in it. It is important to try new things and broadening the comfort zone!”

This is the story Sir narrated as we reached Apsara Vihar-a scenic view point in Madhya Pradesh last December as part of college Nature Club Camp. He then asked us to take out the colour pencils he gave and draw the scene. Obediently we all drew. My drawing looked more like a zombie girl trying to save her life from some scary triangles (supposed to be mountains) but that was the point, to try something new! I drew and I also penned my first poem. It was a beautiful feeling!

Last December I was a third year media student. At the back of my mind were questions of what next? Questions about future to which I didn’t have answers or knew where to find them. But then, I met Tejal Ma’am on the camp and one simple morning conversation with her made me relax about all those back-end questions!

You are a professional architect, what makes you still roll in for these part time courses in so many varied fields?

IMG_20171209_165849346-01 — A glimpse of my travel book

“At the end it all connects.

Even if it doesn’t make you happy, it shall give you experience.

It is also good to know what you don’t like!” are earnest pointers of her well explained reply.

This December, when I am half year ahead of being a graduate and actually living the most chaotic stage in life, it all connects to this conversation with Tejal Ma’am last year.

I have a job in hand, a course in mind and uncertainty about what to do now and in future dwelling within me. Things at my first job haven’t made me happy, they have made me sure of what I don’t like and hey, overall definitely given me an experience! It also calms me down to think that the new job I am doing now will connect to what I’ll do in future.

Last December Camp’s flashback has to talk about this one night I opened up about what exactly I feel about the people who matter the most to me. This night’s conversation helped me this entire year to deal with emotions better. Yes, I spoke about family, friends, etc with Tejal Ma’am and Anish Cheata (the star from My First Snow Trek blog.) The mantra that I received from the conversation which helped me survive this year was-

“Observe, grasp it all in, the entire situation with your loved one.

Feeling: try to analyse what exactly you feel about the situation/equation with the person.

Need, try to understand what you need from the person

Request, attempt to politely get it”

In more than one situation and in varied ways, I did use this formula and had a better emotional journey this year. This formula might sound vague, unrealistic perhaps. But if you are in an emotional situation with a person, or ever wish to deal a relation with your close one better, try to apply it then, and I am sure, at that point, this would be helpful.

I am glad that year was beautiful emotionally and definitely feels stronger at heart. Keeping the ‘say yes to life’ principle in mind, I wrote poetry all year long and also managed to get courage by end to design them up for Instagram. I promised myself and managed to travel more this year. Bonus, made a travel book as well!

The Flashback series will give a glimpse of this year in varied ways. I hope you like this last series of 2017 and get something to take back from each post in the series too.

December 9, 2017