New beginning?

AMRITSAR, PUNJAB - I woke up at 4:15 am... we had a train to Delhi at 6:10 am. During meditation, I thought to myself.... this is it, the end to the first portion of our trip, and the beginning of the second portion. The first phase.. we explored a lot, we observed, we learned about a few NGO's (what they do, how they operate, and their philosophy), and we talked to people and learned about their lives. But, at that moment in mediation, I felt ready for a new beginning, for phase 2. It's time to take more initiative, and actually DO more, versus just learning and exploring. The act of actually doing work... is also a way of exploring and learning... but it's the more active way. So, this was it... I'm convincing myself that I will take more initiative, I will be more enthusiastic, and I will be more ACTIVE... I'm ready for a new beginning!

So, we reach the train station on a rickshaw. We get off, go to our platform.... BAM.. it hits me... I forgot my "thaili" (bag) on the rickshaw... not my big backpack with all my stuff... but my small bag with my journal in it! I've written in this almost everyday since I've been here... and even the week before I left. It was an awesome looking journal as well... with Mahatma Gandhi on the cover, and a different Gandhi quote on each page. Reshma and Beans got it for me when they went to India a couple of years back. I had already filled over 100 pages in it! I went back, looking for the rickshaw, etc.... nothing. It was gone. I had asked for a new beginning... and here it was, I got it.

Overall, I consoled myself with the fact that at least I've been keeping up a pretty-detailed blog, and I've taken many pictures... and I've been through this experience before.

Most of you know the story of the time when I was in India with my family 3 years ago... we had travelled extensively that summer.... mumbai, surat, ahemdabad, bangalore, ooty, mysore, kerala, kanyakumari, madurai, pune, etc... and I had taken 11 rolls of film worth of pictures (before the time of digital cameras)... Of course, on the second last day of my stay, I was with PAras, and left my backpack with all 11 rolls of film on a rickshaw. I was pretty devestated then... but, my consolation, then, was that at least I had kept a solid journal.

This time... I may have lost my journal... but at least I have my pictures! (cross my fingers.. knock on wood.. I hope I don't lost my camera!!! =P)

(I also had 3 Bhangra mp3 CD's in that small bag that we had gotten from amritsar... =(.. gone, as well... but that's it.. nothing "monetarily" valuable)