The Art of 'being'

From doing to being

After returning from my very hectic travel of two months in India, I was so happy to return to my quiet place in Arusha. I thought, I still have a month before I start my studies and this is the best time to just ‘be’. I romanticized my life to the T. I would wake up at six a.m. and do yoga for an hour and a half with my partner. Then, we would make and have a nice breakfast on the balcony overlooking the green fields and gorgeous hills. I would then sit down to do writing and prep for studying and reading. Afternoons I would spend on home decor, small DIY projects and painting. I would then spend the evenings cooking lovely food that my partner would help prepare and we would spend evenings playing games, watching Netflix or just chitchatting.

Maybe I did achieve this for a day or two. Maybe off and on even for a week. But life isn’t as romanticized as we want it to be. Some nights I wouldn’t sleep well and couldn’t get up for yoga. Most days it was too cold to have breakfast on the balcony. And wait the green fields have all turned brown now - they aren’t as lush as they used to be. My partner started skipping yoga sessions a lot due to the extra workload. Some days I had to go out to run errands, sometimes to help friends and I would come back home tired to think of any fun projects to start. I have not gone beyond the first chapter of my book, the decor items are waiting around on the dining table and drawer to be hung and we have not opened one game to play since we got back. I spent one whole day on this puzzle that I got obsessed with finishin

g. Cooking has been more on the convenience side rather than experimenting and exploring.

The beautiful place I live in has a lot of stairs! It seems a big deal to go out and come back. Or maybe walk in the grass. I live quite far away from the road, the hike to the main road and the challenges of the transport system are also sometimes quite frustrating. Although while walking outside, the view is beautiful and you come across lovely birds and squirrels, but sometimes you are in a hurry to get to the road and forget to stop and enjoy them.

While we may romanticize life and think about how we want to live it; sometimes, even plan practical stuff like laundry, cooking and cleaning but, oh no! Life is not so romantic after all. Somedays they feel amazing and some days feel shit. Some days they feel so inspiring and empowering and some days feel depressing and full of procrastination. Somedays the cold weather feels ‘oh so nice to have a cup of hot chocolate’ and some days it feels like ‘ What a gloomy day!’. Somedays the sun is an exciting event to sit outside and some days it is just too hot.

So I have not yet mastered the art of ‘being’ but it is my goal to. While I navigate my very romanticized life here in Arusha, sometimes it is not so great. But hey, I absolutely love it here and hopefully slowly I will find my way from doing to being and back in a smooth transition. My lovely romanticized home has a gorgeous view!