JOIN USWhen the journey becomes the destination
We are never so vulnerable than when we love, trust or tread the unknown. All of us have been in situations where we feel susceptible, unsure and maybe a little lost. Even when we resolve to be stoic, there is a part of us that hopes that life will surprise us and turn our moments of uncertainty into moments of benign calm and clarity.
My husband and I got married 15 days after we met, after our parents arranged the match. Although I was quite young to realize the enormity of our decision, the trepidation of walking into uncharted territory did not escape me.
This uncertainty completely enveloped me once I left my home, my town and found myself in a railway station waiting for the train to take me and my ‘new family’ to my ‘new home’.
Suddenly, everything I had left behind began to gather over me like a cloud and I felt particularly vulnerable. I looked around, seeking something familiar to hold on to. I saw my sister-in-law looking at me intently and soon she was by my side asking if I needed anything. Although I was reticent, she persuaded me to answer her questions, gently and genuinely. Even before I realized what I was doing, I began talking to her about my feelings with some diffidence at first and then with abandon.
I opened up to her like I had opened up to no one in the few days leading up to the wedding. I told her how difficult it was to leave home and a familiar way of life. She listened like she was genuinely interested and in the course of our conversation, I also told her how I often found solace in reading. She was polite and warm. The clouds that had earlier threatened rain, lifted and I felt lighter than I had felt in days.
Soon it was time to get on the train. Everyone rushed in; my sister-in-law was the last to get in. She came and sat beside me and as the train pulled out of the station, she gently handed a package to me. “Maybe this is not what you are used to, but it will do nicely during the train ride” was all she said. As I unpacked the package and held the new bestseller in my hand, I felt my heart expand from within my ribs. Out of her own volition, she had found something for me to read!
As the train chugged towards its destination, I realized, harmony and delight in the form of people and situations can only come to you when you accept your vulnerability; when despite the misgivings in your heart you are open and welcoming to what life might bring. When you communicate your feeling to others with truth, your vulnerability resonates with theirs. They become a part of the journey that takes you home.