In case you missed it, I was in India giving a TEDx talk and decided to take a trip with my 12-year-old son, Jude. It was a trip of a lifetime, and we had an amazing time with Jude even wanting to stay! I am very grateful for our time there and for the amount of time we spend together. In today’s busy world, this is rare. He is a great traveler, and we also take a lot with us being in such a different culture. Here is a photo of the Gandhi Memorial.
Read today’s article where I share what we learned and how we can all apply these lessons to our daily lives π
Here are my 5 lessons from India:
1. Get comfortable being uncomfortable ~ Unfortunately, there is a lot of poverty in India. It stands out in every major city and can cause a bit of anxiety when walking. My son and I kept a low profile, often just driving through these areas and getting out of the car to see the main sites. It was interesting to see my son Jude’s reaction. I was very scared when we got out of the car in these kinds of areas, which is one of the reasons we kept such a low profile. It definitely made sense to be cautious, but it felt that way even in the safest of cities. We were walking in one of the most spiritual places and Jude’s fear reached its peak when someone asked her to come into his store to see his puppies. Of course, here in North America that would raise a “stranger danger” red flag, and it’s exactly what we teach our kids NOT to be swayed. He was happy that he had learned the lesson, but sad that it was also inhibiting him in a new country. Again, it’s good to be cautious, but everyone in India was very friendly and welcoming, and it’s different there. We ended up going back to our driver and asking him to take us to the various sites in this city. Our driver proceeded to take us through this small town, on a one way street, where the cars weren’t noisy! He was constantly honking at cars, and at cows! – to get out of the way! He actually took one for the team, and he was definitely more nervous about people getting mad that we were “breaking the rules” than seeing someone’s puppies! This was a great lesson in being comfortable being uncomfortable, which became our new joke whenever we felt a little down.
Things are going to be different outside of the bubbles we live in. Being comfortable with discomfort allows us to experience new things and be open to different ideas and ways of being.
2. Be open to receive ~ In India “Atithi Devo Bhava” is practiced, which means that the Guest is equivalent to God. We were overwhelmed by the love and service we received. They really treated us like royalty. At university, all of our meals and teas were prepared for us and served, even when we used a food delivery service instead. The staff insisted on serving it on plates to make it look good. It was incredible! Many of the students took pictures of us and wanted lots of selfies, even with Jude! We felt a little weird at first, but we quickly learned that it was rude not to accept all of the great service and we remembered receiving it.
What if we treat our own guests like this? How different would our dinners and interactions with clients be? Hmm… I think we are all worthy of this kind of love J
3. Stay flexible ~ We quickly realized that well-designed plans often took longer than anticipated. Instead of being so rigid and worrying if we didn’t get to certain places by a certain time, I practiced letting go and staying flexible. It was amazing to go with the flow, changes in plans were needed and I was reminded that this is such a peaceful existence when we operate from this location. Being a busy mom and business owner, taking control and managing everyone comes with the territory, BUT we can also take this too far. There has to be an element of going with the flow and bending our own rules. If we go too far, the “need to control” is much more than the “need to feel safe.”
Finding a happy middle ground in all areas of life is the ultimate: do things and let them go!
4. Accepting different cultures ~ each area we visited had a different kind of vibe and we quickly learned to adapt. A holy mama was traffic a whole different situation! She had never heard so many honks and send congestion so deep. We learned to trust our diver very quickly. One of my favorite traditions was in the Himalayas, where everyone bows with their hands in a prayer position to greet each other. I started doing it too and even Jude was doing it at the end. It was such a peaceful way to say hello. If you see me doing this around town you’ll know why π
We talk about what practices we would like to bring home to our daily lives, one of them is the snack. In India they have tea and biscuits around 5 or 5:30, before dinner which starts around 7:30pm. Jude especially loved this and we have imported it into our nights at home. Instead of waiting for a night where everyone is home at the same time, which is almost impossible given everyone’s activities and schedules, we started doing it with whoever is home. I love the unexpected connection this is bringing.
5. Holy cow ~ we found out why they don’t eat beef in India (even McDonalds only has chicken). The cow is scared because she gives milk, and the idea is that they don’t take anything else away from her because of that. As a result, the cows freely walk around the country. It still amazes me how they are able to navigate the heavy and congested traffic!
Above all, there was the love, kindness, and gratitude that every person we met seemed to exhibit. From university staff to students to hotel staff to people on the streets. Everyone was appreciative and kind. What an inspiration for all of us to live this way π