In My Wanderings

I read this poem today and it resonated with me totally. Here is why.

Doors and Windows- by Eduardo Galeano

From our fears our courages are born,
and in our doubts our certainties live.
The dreams announce another possible reality,
and the deliriums another reason.
In the wanderings the findings are waiting for us,
because it's necessary to get lost
to find yourself again.

Exactly 2 years ago, I made a huge transformation in my life. I quit my job, sold my apartment, said goodbye to a familiar lifestyle, and moved back to India after having spent over 13 years in Singapore. I didn't move to an Indian city to take up a job. Instead, I moved to a small Himalayan village to live with my mother, far removed from the cities and corporate life that I was used to.

What spurred me to take this plunge were my dreams for a life I had always imagined and a strong sense of rootlessness in Singapore, though many people thought it was just a mid-life crisis making me delirious. And all I felt for months before the move was not excitement, but doubts about who I really was and a terrifying fear of the unknown.

From my fear arose my courage. From my dreams arose another reality. From my doubts arose my convictions. From years of wanderings and rootlessness sprouted my roots. And yes, it was necessary for me to be lost so that I could find myself again.