What on earth is happening? Will, I seriously not be able to travel anytime soon? No way, I am not prepared for this sudden change. Like one day I was planning for a trip to the Himalayas and the next I am expected to cancel every single thing to do outside and only be home? What the hell! This has to be a big bad dream.

Process

To deal with a tough situation, I have been outdoors and de-cluttered my mind looking at the clouds, embracing a mountain or so on. Never have I come back from a trip/trek with a messy mind. I have always come back home peacefully if not entirely happy.

Each human has different ways of dealing with life situations. People prefer to talk, some prefer music, and some like me prefer writing and travelling. Now, to me, it feels like taking away a part of my backbone and asking me to survive. How?

Few weeks have gone and I tried to write myself through it. You can read the ‘be home saga’ to know how I tried to keep my spirits up. But, as the days are increasing and the chances of the situations to improve decreasing, my panic levels are reaching the moon and back.

I took to art to calm down. It didn’t completely help me as my mind didn’t process the reality. Art proved to be a Band-Aid to my mind. I felt good, but this not able to travel wound hadn’t healed. Nature has its way of calming me, and it did so yet again.

I decided and saw sunrise and sunset every day. I managed to do so for four days at a stretch this week. I saw the sunrise from my building terrace while I saw the sunset from my balcony. Watching the big gas ball rise and set, my mind finally understood that this situation will set too. No amount of me panicking will stop the rising situation.

To accept this harsh reality completely in the mind is step one. Above is my mind’s flow of accepting this pandemic craze. If you are an overthinker like me, please process this step one for yourself too, talk to yourself and understand if you have truly accepted the largeness of this situation.

Proceed

Once that is done, I went on to invest more in the passions I have. I begin to give more time to writing. I begin to read more and understand better about the places I have been to. Tried my best to gain knowledge online and from people, on the places, I have been to. Starting to do these, my mind felt better.

I took time, but now I am able to focus more on the things that need to be done rather than cribbing of the things I can’t do now. I had approached White Elephant Digital last month to revamp my blog. I finally spent the time to buy a domain and now I am working on helping them with the designing of the blog.

I have always wished for the blog to get better and finally spending time on doing it feels beautiful. My target is to get this whole blog revamped before my birthday next month. I am working full force on making that happen, with the help of White Elephant Digital of course!

Plan

One thing that I have picked up from one year at working at an NGO is the importance of planning. I know this whole situation is about easing out and chilling, but I believe it is the best time to plan. Plan what?

If you genuinely followed the first two steps above, you should be thinking about this passion you have for something and spending time doing it. Even if you aren’t a passionate person, it doesn’t hurt to add up some skills on your sleeves

Just go to udemy.com or Coursera and you’ll find so many newer opportunities to brush up many skills you haven’t been able to give time for before. Udemy especially has varied categories of courses and many are certified too!

It took me a while to reach this state of mind where I am no more thinking that the world is ending. I am looking at this phase as a growing and nurturing one and telling myself each day that life has given me the best gift it could – time!

I would urge everyone reading this to also try and process this situation positively, proceed with making some plans of self-growth. Let’s use this surprise gift by life efficiently.

@nishanavgire on Insta to share your thoughts, feelings etc

“You wake up and you have your tea, tiffin and breakfast ready. All you have to do is freshen up, leave for work and try to do it through the day. You travel. Try hardest to convince yourself you worked and then travel back home. Once you are home, you eat and sleep. This day repeats until Sunday where you blog and either sleep like a slog inside or you are out there on the mountains.”

That’s the crispest version of the kind of life I live. This whole breakout of a novel virus has made me realize things this above paragraph has that I have taken for granted. I have had gratitude towards people I have met and memories I have lived…until this lockdown at home made me realize there is so much more I need to value and be grateful for…

One thing that is majorly part of my life, for the past seven years, which I deeply miss, is the local trains. Yes, I said it. I am a true Mumbaikar and I miss hustling every single day in the jam-packed annoying local trains. I think my body has got habituated to the gross sweaty train travel. But an over a week into being home, I miss more of what the trains offer to my mind.

I have written separate posts, added many anecdotes in certain posts about what the Mumbai local has taught me. But, more than anything I realized, looking at so many people struggle every single day I feel reassured I am not alone. Everyone out there is trying to do the best of what they have, and every local train ride during peak hours gave a glimpse of that.

“I have always had the travel bug in me, my family never allowed. Post marriage, he took me to a few places. Later, after we had a kid, it all stopped. He always had work, and he travelled for work too. I was the only one with no travel in life. It sucked until my son grew up to be four.

I took this bold decision one weekend, informed my husband, his mother and my mother of it. I took help of a friend to book hotel, tickets etc. Soon, I and my son were off to a weekend experience at Mahabaleshwar all by ourselves. We connected and had a joyful time.

My son couldn’t stop sharing repeatedly all stories of horse riding, night circus and much more. Each time he shared it with utmost details and his beautiful smile. I could see for once, our son’s smile made my husband cry within. I made this me and son travel a regular thing for my family. I have taken him to various places now in the past year.”

This is an overheard story in the first class compartment of the local train. A lady for shared this with her friend who kept adding how she doesn’t have that much confidence to do the same with her child. Both of them exchanged numbers and shared details of hotels to stay, modes of transport for an individual travel. It was one inspiring morning.

Amidst the many headless battles I witness in the local trains, my ears get blessed with such stories too. I had immediately written a crux of this story on my mobile. Looking for post ideas this week I stumbled upon the journal entry of this inspiring lady.

I am definitely missing mountains and planning to be on them. I had a vague plan to go to the Himalayas which has gone on hold too. I have had many last-minute plans where we have just taken trains and left home, been in the mountains the entire day and come back. I am craving for that time to come again soon. I’ll definitely be crying out of pure joy once I am embracing a mountain again.

However, the story of this inspiring lady on the train has given me a different thing to ponder upon. Can I actually use this time at home and build up skills and confidence required to go on a solo trip? I think that’s what I’ll be thinking on next.

What about you guys? What is it that you are missing? What is that you are grateful for? What’s your next mission? Let’s chat on @nisha_navgire also, in hope that we all stay home and safe and come out gracefully through this pandemic situation.

You can’t force anything on anyone. This might be a known fact to many, but I recently experienced the meaning of it. I am grateful for the people I crossed life paths with, as they have made me believe now, that nothing in the world can ever be truly forced.

The current outbreak of Corona Virus made governments all over the world to force certain hygiene rules on its citizens. There are few, but people exist who ran away or who got detected positive and went on public events. How much ever you try, nothing can be forced. The force within people can only move them to do something.

The virus expects certain hygiene rules. While working from home, it was tough to force these rules on dad. He has lived his life a certain way and he wouldn’t adhere to the basic norms expected. Both our forces created a fire in the house one evening.

As I reflected, I figured that he wasn’t wrong. He has lived a purely easy and simple life and definitely in more troublesome and difficult backgrounds. For him to believe that some hygiene rules unfollowed might get him sick was impossible. I cried post the realization and became quiet for the next two days.

Since the world around him suddenly tried to make him more aware, he paved. He follows the basic norm now. I don’t panic or react too much if he fails once. Sometimes, the force in us needs to calm down first before we convince the force in others to do something.

The department head in the office, tried to force a task on our team. It felt like a battle of two forces. She tried her best to make us do something while our team together tried to push that force away. In the end, perhaps because of the majority, we won. Such a victory was sour, not sweet.

The manager wished for our growth. We as a team already had enough on the plate and hence resisted more work. It is tough, but nothing good or bad can ever be forced. While reflecting on the incident it does feel like it would be better if we didn’t resist, but it is too late. As a team, we already fought back the force.

I think as a twenty-something, I have travel, work and writing feathers to my cap. But with regards to boys, I have been low key. Purely because of low self-esteem, I stayed away for the longest.

I did have one true connection and I had tried everything, to get that one connection with the love of my life right, years back. Today when I look at it, I only see the force in me trying to do it while the force in him was onto different things. We did have a connection, but perhaps, the forces in us wished for different things.

On the other hand, I feel, I am now with someone for years with whom it is easy. We took our time but not at any single second has either of us forced the other for anything. The comfort got built naturally. It was tough, we didn’t have it easy. It is relaxing now to be with someone where nothing seems like it is forced. Everything we do feels natural and simple.

Financial year-end made the weeks tougher and my mind more cluttered. I couldn’t even sit down to journal properly. I pushed myself, but couldn’t force the words out for a blog post. The whole ”be home during the virus” came at the right time for me. The fourth day into it, I have managed to de-clutter my mind and get a blog post out. Again, making me realize, only the force within can make us do something.

I’ll share my process of de-cluttering my mind in the coming posts.
@nisha_navgire on Insta to discuss the idea further.

I took a decision this week to go for a week-long Himalayan trek with India Hikes. I don’t know who I will be trekking with. I only know a good friend who works for the organization, and that I can’t let go of another year without being to the Himalayas. I skimmed through options on the website, chose a suitable trek for me and went ahead with the bookings.

When I shared this with a friend, she questioned me, what gives me the courage to take such bold decisions. I didn’t have an answer. She gave me a thought to ponder upon. The question made me curious to understand my thought process better.

It took me back to my childhood. It took me back to days and sometimes even nights I spent with Grandma. I remember teaching her usage of a remote, usage of washing machine and even a mobile phone. She was one curious soul who would learn everything new that enters the house, be it door latch, tv or even a computer!

The fact that my friend’s question made me curious to find an answer to it dwells in the way Grandma bought me up. I spent the maximum of my growing up days with her. I can definitely say that the curiosity I have in me towards the mountains or anything in general also is something her presence has given me.

When I thought about the bold part of the decision, then I definitely have to say that boldness runs in my veins. My mother has always been the bread bearer in my family. She maintained the balance between work and home perfectly from the times when working women were frowned upon.

I have seen many other women in my family hesitate to take the bold work-home kind of decision even today. It is not easy to do so today, it wasn’t easy back then. But my mom did it and did it well.

As I said boldness runs in the veins, it is also true in my sister’s case. She took a decision to study and settle abroad that created so much chaos. She stood still, focused and achieved what she wished for. Not even once have I seen my mom or my sister not achieve something they have eyed upon.

Being brought up in an environment as such, the decision I took was a normal one for me. However, the friend who questioned my decision has seen and lived in a different world. But, when I think deeper, it isn’t only about the women around me…

Yes, I adapted curiosity from Grandma and courage from mom and sister. But my grandmother grew up with five brothers, each of who strengthened her to become what she did. Similarly, mom grew up with three brothers. And as far as my sister is concerned, she had her better half by her side through the entire moving abroad decision of her life.

As far as I am concerned, I have also had the best set of men till-date who have pushed me to become a better version of me. Be it my cousins, boys I have dated, my college friends or even the people I have trekked and tripped with. In many ways, so many of them gave me the confidence to go ahead with my decision.

Strong men build strong women and vice versa. If we remove the sex from it, the statement still stands true. Strong humans build stronger humans – as simple as that! You are a boy or a girl reading this – make sure you are a human that adds value to the lives that surround you through support, care or whatever positivity you can.

@nisha_navgire on Insta to discuss anything further

I love many things and the love for all of it keeps me going. The love I have for some people, the love I receive from so many, the love I have for blogging and travelling, my love for organizing are only to name a few. I am grateful for the existence of love in my life in all these forms.

Family | loved ones

I have time and again said this and I don’t mind repeating it one more time – my mother is my biggest support system. Be it choosing a course to study, be it making an eating schedule to follow, be it avoiding family members for a trek, every tiny part of my life, she knows it and has been there through it all, her love keeps me going.

She has begun to read my blogs also this year and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. Her insights and proud comments on what I write give me a different high! Apart from her, I have a couple of close family members too that are all powerhouse of motivation.

My closest friend list is tight of only a few people, but they all add meat to my being. Crucial feedback, constructive criticism, saving tips, relationship gurus and free treats as much as I need! You name it and they got it covered. I am sure I have the best bunch of people as close friends, their love keeps me going.

Writing | thinktwicenish

Today as I type this post, I have taken my first baby step to grow my blog. I have had the first initial level conversation about how my blog will look in a while with the White Elephant Digital. I have finally decided to purchase a domain and things are going to get bigger from now on.

I am dancing within excitedly thinking how the year is going to be for my blog. I still struggle to get my weekly posts out in time and be completely content with my own content, but I am trying. Now that I have taken a step further, it is only going to get tougher and I have braced myself for it. The love for writing keeps me going.

Travel | wisdom

I lose track of the number of things I have learned each time I have been out there with nature. It is hard to put it all in words the amount of wisdom I have gained from a single trip or from all the travelling I have done so far. Each trip is unique, each step out is learning.

In the second month of the year – I am already done with three treks and fourth is being planned already! This is the best start to the year I could ask for travel-wise. I connect to myself more when I am with nature. I learn newer sides of me and everything around me. This insane love for outdoors keeps me going

This post is a continuation of love keeps us going. If you haven’t read that, read it here.
Wish to connect further? Write to me @nisha_navgire on Insta.

What am I doing now? What should I be doing next? Is life at the moment making sense? Why do I feel so lost every other day? Is adulting supposed to be this chaotic?

That’s just first few lines of my journal entry a day ago. Anxiety attacks or existential crisis, I don’t know, but this kind of entry keeps repeating in my journal. But, yesterday on my way to work I realized I am not alone.

Many people my age, who either have achieved something they wished or have not or are in the process – all of them feel this same kind of chaos. By my age, I mean like a few years after graduation. Each day I travel and meet many ships trying to sail this journey.

For college or for work, it’s been more than seven years I am travelling by Mumbai Local train. Almost every other day, I see individuals struggling to stay alive as they travel to their workplaces and back.

I overheard a conversation of two ladies, hanging from a train, complaining about work, bosses, work culture and much more. They really sounded frustrated, like they could actually pull someone out of the train in that anger. Yet, they were hanging in there and doing their best to be in time to work.

As I wondered why I noticed another girl my age, she is the one I usually speak to every morning. She looked overtly joyful than usual. I enquired and figured she was happy because her husband and in-laws were going to be away for a day and she would be living one peaceful day after ages.

What kind of life must be to feel peaceful when left alone? I have often heard from her about her idiotic in-laws and other crappy family members and how yet she cooks for them and speaks to them with a smile.

I tried to fathom, what keeps these women going? Doing such difficult tasks every day? Be it hanging off a train or dealing with strange family members, what is it that still keeps them motivated?

Though the ladies hanging off the train complained of work lives, while still hanging, laughed and chatted joyfully about family. They shared cute stories about their children and newer parenting skills they are trying to imbibe.

My friend who rants of her in-laws almost every other day shyly says how its all worth it for the man in her life. Though the marriage is arranged, she gushes about the love that exists that keeps her going.

I stood there looking at these three ladies and smiled. It felt like witnessing the power of love in one frame. Is it not love that helps them deal with everything they are put into? Isn’t the pure love for their beloved family members that helps them deal and conquer with difficult battles each day?

Trying to calm myself, I wrote in my journal that day- it is okay. Life does not exist to be simple. Its core character is to be chaotic. As far as you have found love that will keep you going, you are fine.

Have I found the love that will keep me going? Oh yes! More about the love that keeps me going in future posts…

For now, think about what is it that keeps you going despite everything life puts you into…
if you have an answer write to me on Insta @nisha_navgire