The Game of Life: One-and-Done
INDIA - ITALY - EGYPT
Here’s to “Connecting Routes” ~ a space to spotlight a common theme in my travels that offers snapshots from one place to another, like the tantalizing tease of a tasting menu or a shortlist of your next dream vacation!
Top Three Places To See the Game Of Life
Getting into med school was one thing, while the sacrifices and sheer strength to stay course-corrected along the way (with sparse sleep) was something else. Have you ever woken up and wondered, “I played the game, passed go, got my $200, and …” now what? Akin to boardgame instructions, a plethora of peeps and professionals have offered advice on the good life. As a traveler, what I find valiant in the galivants, is how folks interpret and use their assets to build a beautiful journey, of their own. In Samoa, tradition seemed to be unaffected by time, while the Qataris mold modernity around it. Stewardship is on display: be it in the Galapagos Islands, where both protection of natural resources and payout are valued, or in France, where prized possessions have been safeguarded for centuries. Through these diverse ways, by what compass do countries and its citizens direct their day-to-days?
Sitting lakeside, lazily sipping on a nut infused tea, I wondered from where we glean clarity. How many of us have made choices that respond to the whims and wants of others, or have invertedly donned protective gear that not only no longer serves us, but more critically, shields us from the Real? The birds are in conversation currently, reminding me that indeed nature has nuggets for those that can nap and notice on its turf. As part of this whole, some special Senegalese folk showed me that palpable love for ourselves and each other can swipe away this illusion of separation. We all get one go at this game of life, it’s one-and-done! So, playing it with the punctuation it deserves is paramount. If there’s passion in our purpose - whether that’s in sports, science, service or something else - let’s see if that’s in the centre of our attention at the moment, and if it’s not, what’s stopping us?
Yes, there is gain, glory and gratitude in the sacrifices we celebrate and categorically make. There’s also pleasure and permission in soaking up the sun, the scene and the seconds that are (now) slipping away. Sentient beings such as ourselves ought not to be focused solely on our scoreboards. The Nigerians I hung out with insisted that the hustle and hectic as well as the ambition and achievement were balanced with conscious commitment to community, culture and creating joy that’s seriously contagious. There’s a panacea for misplaced priorities, with a full spectrum of flavours depending on which culture or paradigm aligns. Perhaps it’s time to take a look at how we’re spending the sands in our hourglass … is there anything to tweak?
India: A spinning space where glitz and glamour lives next door to slums and trains where human appendages are squished in till they spill out. This is the land of yogis, spirituality, history, beauty, all to be taken in over mouth-watering meals (that can leave you on the toilet (and likely going back for more)). Above all, this is a place where possibilities are endless.
Italy: Pizza and pasta cooked to perfection, gelato that generates joy and espressos that create the standard, this is a country whose rich culinary and cultural heritage morphs as one mobilizes from one edge to the other - reminding us that we too can change.
Egypt: Wooing tourists and challenging modern day scientists still, the home of (more than just) the Pyramids provides mammoth monuments to meander with ancient tombs that teach us to think of how we’re setting up both our lives and legacy.
“The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you
Don't go back to sleep!
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep!
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep!” ~ Rumi
May this one life be lived so that I’m actually, authentically, always #livingmybestlife,