Journey- The road ahead

 

A very Happy Diwali to all my readers!

As I celebrate this festival, I know for sure the mixed feelings we all have at this time. This year has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride. People are feeling gratitude, despair, grief, desperation all almost in the same breath.

I myself went through an array of emotions. It is not just Diwali, it was also children’s day and my daughter holds us to the highest of standards. She was hosting Diwali and calling shots except for the actual pooja for Diwali, she had everything planned out to the T. A role play where she scripted and we were given a part in keeping with the spirit of Children’s day, the decorations for Diwali, the invitation for video calls, etc all were sent out by her. She is 11 by the way and ensures that we dance to her tunes.

Then I received a piece of news which disturbed me.  Despite so much positivity through the day I somehow stayed focused on that news. I then decided to distract myself and go out with my family for a drive. I spoke to my husband and tried to calm myself.  I focused on what had gone well and consciously thought about what was working for us today. There were a lot of things on that count.

Isn’t this is what a journey looks likes? We are constantly changing gears and switching emotions and yet somehow manage to come back on track.

My blogs in the past week have been about these experiences only. The power of connections, the need for preparations, challenges faces and journey in face of adversity account for some of the important nuggets I use during the course of any journey.  I spoke about design thinking and a journey map as a tool for identifying and learning the course of the journey. My biggest learning is the art of journaling and the strength of it. I used it today in the way to enlist highlights of the day to divert myself from incessant sulking.  One of my blogs was about the questions we often ask ourselves before or while on a journey.

My personal favourite was about my blog on the Parenting journey. Today was just another day where my children made my day beautiful.

Our journey nowadays especially is very challenging.  Even on days when we are sure of our future, we do not know what just might disturb the balance. The uncertainty is so much that it has made all over lives a constant struggle.  Yet in these times, we still find a reason to smile and love and be grateful.

One important learning- consistency and gratitude is the key to a motivating journey.