We were late by a couple of hours, but we
finally reached Mumbai Fountain Hotel,
which was our pre-decided meeting point.
Partner (Pankaj) was a little uneasy. I could
see it, feel it, read it in his face, But we didn't
talk about it. Our daily routine and its non-stop madness, kills our
emotions. Nothing makes us happy and we take
everything for granted! But if we look around, we have
enough reasons to be happy! We actually can count our
blessings but instead we find a new reason to suffer
everyday!
Mom, Milad, Pourya and our biker friends
flagged us off with laughter, love and great
energy. I felt light and I liked it! I asked myself, what could make me upset? Tough days?
Cold weather? Breakdowns? Living on the road with no
place to go? Getting robbed? Be in pain?
The 15th of March 2017 was the day I knew
my life had changed. In our first 100 kms,
Partner's bike started to heat up and I could
sense his worry, while I had no emotions -
no distress, no happiness, no worry. Partner
got onto a call with Joshua to sort out the
bike issue, while I ordered my 'masala chai'.
My mind was still blank.
And I reminded myself that all this was waiting for me for
next one and half years. If these are things, that I allow
myself to upset me, then I will be upset each and every
single day!!!
That is when I decided to go forth and live my life, to teach
myself, that our mind governs everything. It just depends on
how we tune ourselves and take life forward!
We set off again and reached Baroda. After
an awesome sunset, we found a hotel and
parked our bikes for the first day. Our
responsibilities were clear. while Pankaj
worked on our bikes for couple of hours, I
washed the clothes and ordered food.
It was then that the realization hit me.
When was the last time I looked at the sky?
Counted the Stars? Talked to the Moon?
Watched the Sun go down?... All the things
that I was addicted to when I was a little
small town girl!
A new day dawned and another ride day
began. Partner's bike kept heating up and I
could see it in his face that he was trying his
best to hold up his spirit. I could feel how
annoyed he was. But we didn't talk about it!
I continued to be happy and euphoric, as
we passed through Delhi, the Yamuna
Expressway, Agra, Lucknow, Bihar.. But
everyday, new episodes for Pankaj's bike -
stuck on the road for hours.
Week # 1 into 'Ride To Be One' and I
learned my FIRST RULE: "Nothing should
take away my happiness"
Over the next few days, it became increasingly clear to me,
how important it was to follow the above rule and to tune my
mind.
On the days of hardship on the road, I didn't even once feel
annoyed or upset. If we were stuck on the road, I used that as
a great time to shoot photos and make videos! If I was at
Biker's house, I slept. If I was at the mechanic, I made my
notes. While Pankaj continued to stay calm, managing the
bike and situation very well. I really needed this trip to learn
the simple fact of life that we all have forgotten, that 'we are
here to be happy'.
And here we are. about 10 days into our ride and we are at
the border, ready to enter Bhutan: The World's Happiest
Country! 28th of March 2017, 1:30 pm, Phonsuling City, Bhutan.