The longest trip I’ve ever taken?
Could it be the one from home to the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari spanning 4 state borders and over 1250 kms? A trip travelled by a couple of trains, a cab and finishing with a long walk to finally catch the sun rising over the glorious confluence of two seas and an ocean.
Could it be the one from home to another tip of India, Dhanushkodi, spanning 3 state borders and over 1200 kms? A trip travelled by a couple of trains, cabs and a final leg by a walk leading to the abandoned ghost town sitting eerily surrounded by the calm Bay of Bengal to one side and the turbulent Indian Ocean to the other. A town that oddly looks like a keyhole from the sky lying in wait for I know not what…while Srilanka beckons from not so far away.
Could be it the one from home to the last village of India near the Tibetan border spanning 6 state borders and over 2100 kms? A trip that had me hopping from trains to buses to cabs to helicopters, drenched in sweat and rain and sleet, over grassy knolls and snowy roads, through temples hidden in the deep gorges of the mighty Himalayas…arriving at a small post and an arch that simply read I was at the tip of my country from the northern side this time. A kid with the pinkest of cheeks posing for me made it all seem well worth it.
Could it be the one from home to a high mountain pass sitting at an altitude of over 13,000 feet spanning 7 state borders and over 2100 kms? A trip that yet again had me hopping from trains to buses to cabs to a hike up a snowy mountain reaching the pass only to be welcomed by a garland of snow. Even the mountains knew I was a snow-virgin!
Could it be the one from home to a mountain range seeking the delicate lilac flower that only bloomed once in 12 odd years? A trip that didn’t need a lot of convincing. Nature herself pulled me into her best laid plans and there I was, as usual hopping trains, buses and walks later arriving to dense fogs and wild goose chases. Only to finally catch a glimpse of the elusive beauty on a rainy afternoon when I had almost given up all hope of ever finding her.
Could it be the one I took from home surrendering my fears in the fires of love that had me flying to a new continent towards a new life and a new future? Through the big, big skies of Africa that simply refused to be shy of their expanse! The longest probably in terms of miles but the shortest in terms of dreams. After all, how long does it take to hop from one heart to another?
Could it be the one from home to the land of Shiva, a trip that saw me surrender every fear I have ever had in the fires of faith and devotion, seeking nothing but the purest love of the divine. Who cared if that took many days of travel by all kinds of modes of transport. Reaching the lap of God is rarely measured by physical distance. It only needed me to trust in myself and jump headlong into the unknown. Leaving behind everything else that kept me tethered to that which never mattered.
Or could it be none of them?
The longest road has always been the one that led me to myself. A tumultous journey from without to within, leaving behind my controlling mind and learning to rely on my ever trustworthy heart.
Gates of the outer world keep beckoning me for more but I now know that the true journey worth undertaking is the longest one from the outer to the inner world within me, guided by the light of my heart.
So could it be that the longest trip I have ever taken is not the one from home to elsewhere out there?
Could it be the one that led me to find my home within myself?
After all it did take me all of 42 years to get there!!
A post related to finding home within oneself : Where is HOME?
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Care to drop a tiny pearl from the ocean of your mind?