12 years Unslaved!

I never did consider myself spontaneous, It was drilled into me from young- to plan, be prepared, always have your armour on. 

Every trip I went on, was planned hoping for the best, but  I was prepared for the worst.  

Even a simple act of risk taking, involved long term planning!! I got good at that as well!

My studies at school were so planned that surprise tests were always welcome!

Opposites attract and that is why I found a good friend who thrived on risks, spontaneity was his middle name.

We hit it off well and I too enjoyed the thrill it brought, albeit a bit cautiously.  

The first time I went on a bike ride with him, I was unprepared for it.. I did not know I would be flying off the back of a 500 CC bike and holding on for dear life!

The wind ripping my tiny top off my back, my hair flying free from its usual barrette, my feet slipping off from the dainty slippers!! 

Yes it was an experience to remember, but next time I met him I went very well prepared! and I was in for a disappointment, we did not go on a long flying drive!!

And so it went on, till the next time I decided not to be so prepared and expectant. And then I realised therein lies the fun!! 

Being overly prepared takes away some of the joy in such moments!!

It drives you crazy, the suddenness, the last minute unpreparedness. 

We are after all creatures of habit.

I plan, make lists, look at them everyday, follow the plan. review it periodically. Re-plan!

Moving to Bangalore 12 years ago was a planned decision. Marriage gone bust, job opportunities low, babies needing attention. 

So it was that we planned it, to move and separate.

But not everything goes by the book, by our plans. 

I had lists for everything

How to find a job, where to set up home, schools under consideration. 

Nothing went by my plan.

I took a chance with the school, the choice of job, temporary move in with parents. 

I took each day as it came! 

Was easier than trying to control things beyond my control.

Taking up a startup job was a huge risk.

Slowly realising the risk is mitigated by the rewards in such cases. 

I survived. 

Sometimes, it helps to go with the flow.

And let circumstances be the driving force.

Bangalore did not fail me!

New friends, New passions. New home. 

I started liking the 'live in the moment' feel. 

Today, I do plan, I do go prepared for the worst. 

Yet I am able to stay calm when things do not go according to my plan. 

If I miss 2 weeks training schedule, I look at my plan, sigh and wait for when I can pick up and move forward again. 

I accept there is a supreme power watching and guiding me.  

I have enjoyed the 12 years of being a different person. 12 years of freedom. 

Now

'I don't want to survive, I want to live" 

- Solomon Northup- 12 years a slave!