Living in the Now

4.10.2010

Setting the stage...I’m lying down in the upscale Hilton Janakpuri in Delhi, India...typing to keep myself up a little longer so that jet lag doesn’t set in after my 17 hours of travel time from JFK.

I’m typing quickly to beat my computer’s waning battery life. The power has gone out roughly 4 times in the last two hours, and I’m assured by hotel staff that it’s just routine.

I stepped off the plane at Indira Ghandi airport a few hours ago. Getting out of the airport in Delhi, I was happy to have a driver waiting to carry me to the hotel - it’s a bit disorganized near the taxi queue and I would be a little nervous trusting a random driver. Over the 40 minute drive to the hotel, I became more concerned every few miles that I had made a poor decision to visit India. After I was convinced I had seen the poorest of India, we drove through areas that were even more ramshakle. I half expected to see Sally Struthers on the side of the road filming a new TV spot for Feed the Children.

Ok, is this odd...is India’s battle with Pakistan this severe? When the cab entered the hotel compound it was searched by three guards for bombs, given a full under-carriage mirror exam, and I passed through a metal detector and sent the contents of my pockets through an x-ray machine before entering the incredibly spacious and well-appointed 40ft. tall lobby.

Soon after arrival, I met with Mahmet, a reassuringly confident Delhi travel agent, whom I was connected to by a family friend. We met to discuss my itinerary at my hotel this afternoon. He made quick work of mentioning that I had chosen the absolute “wrong time to visit India”. The Indian native told me that it was much too hot and I had chosen a hotel in the wrong area of town to do sightseeing by foot. So much for the good news.

Given the preceding hour of travel angst brought on by the poverty tour and the high security precautions, I was reticent to leave the hotel by myself. After showering and a brief visit to the gym, I got some balls and exited the rather heavily fortified complex and walked around the corner to the open-air mall. In a crowd of thousands of very pleasant Indians, I stood out as the only white person, but at 6’3” with my Jew fro, I soon felt like the main event at a Ringling Bros. circus. Even small toddlers were transfixed on me. The attention was a bit comforting, as I drew smiles from random people as they turned to steal quick glances at me. I thought, this is going to be ok, no worries. I relaxed for the first time since arriving, and I’m working on doing more of that now.

It’s important to mention that 2 days ago I didn’t know whether I would be leaving for India or Thailand the next morning. It’s a good thing that I chose Delhi over Bangkok...BBC just reported 150 injured in clashes with Government troops in downtown Bangkok. The Red Shirts are protesting en masse (over 10,000) and have invaded parliament and are now throwing small grenades at military forces, who are returning fire with rubber bullets and tear gas. As of now, I’d rather take my chances here.

After 10 days out of the office, I’m remembering how to live in the moment after many years of focusing on ‘what next?’. My sabbatical has begun with loads of uncertainty, though I’m now relaxing into the mindset that ‘whatever the outcome, the moment is still now’.

Prior to flying to India, I spent a few days at Myrtle Beach with my folks and my incredible cousins Geoffrey and Jonathan, appreciating some quality family time. And I nested in Fayetteville, NC for Passover for a few days before and after the beach. Grandma and I got to go for coffee a few times and catch up. I even managed to make it to Durham to watch Duke's NCAA championship game at Cameron stadium with all the current students and then burn benches with them in Main Quad afterwards! The calm was interrupted briefly, when the night before my departure, my Dad and I had to call the paramedics to take my Mom to the hospital after she dislocated her shoulder following a misplaced step. No breaks, but I'm assured that her ego and shoulder are still sore. Love you, Mom.

I also spent two unexpected days in New York after deciding to delay my flight to Thailand while hoping to wait out the country’s coup. Even though I had lived in New York for a full year, two days ago I took my first stroll through Central Park. It was remarkable and I enjoyed a sense of calm and patience that I have only experienced a few times in my life. I stopped to talk with a fellow sitting on a tree stump banging out poems on his manual typewriter for tips. I met another guy who talked to me about how he ‘dropped out’ of society on his savings and lives meagerly to avoid re-conforming to society’s push to work harder & longer. I enjoyed lunch and an un-rushed conversation in mid-town with Cynthia, one of my most insightful and appreciated friends. Later that night I walked 20 blocks with my cousin David to his home, and I didn’t feel the need to hurry through it to be somewhere else.

I can say that I’m recognizing the power of living in the moment.

On Sunday I’ll be going on a city tour of Delhi starting at 8am and ending somewhere around early dinner hour. My friend Sanjay offered to introduce me to his friend who heads Biz Dev for Google India, so I might meet him for dinner. I fly to Goa tomorrow for some scuba and relaxation on the beach, then I leave for Cochine/Kerela a few days later for ayeurvedic massage and yoga hopefully dotted with inspiring conversations with gurus to keep me on the path to relaxation and spiritual renewal.