Call it me growing old, call it me slowing down but I must say that I absolutely love spending time at home…J There is a joy I experience at home that is very special. My mind is always thinking, always working and so I said to myself... let me write my mind out and express myself via my blog today which is why here I am writing away. It is an overcast Sunday and its been raining this morning which is strange for mid November. I am seated at my chaise lounge in the drawing room and looking out into the garden and the pool. It seems like the ideal day to step out for most but for me it isn't.
The thing is most people my age enjoy stepping out, meeting up, partying, hanging out…but me, I love being home. I sometimes find myself thinking …hmm…maybe I am a tad weird I should be out living it up-I am in Mumbai!!! I have always fought fiercely to see that I create for a level of consistency in my life. Everything I do or endeavor needs to be with thought and if I enjoy it and want more of it, then I need to pave the way to see I create that avenue that allows me to consistently have that in life without getting too greedy. My joys are simple be it my gymming, going to movies, riding my bikes, traveling and chilling at home.
I was brought up with the value system that had you learn to nurture the ‘sense of belonging’ when I was young. My Mom infused in me how important it was to not always have to be 'entertained' but sometimes be able to also enjoy just ‘being’. Mom has been quite an amazing woman who really keeps the entire family together with always finding ways to see we bond, we communicate, we nurture and we selflessly love and I think in many ways I have tried to replicate her teachings in my life and take wisdom from the lady she is. She taught me the importance of home, family, staying united, always being accountable and staying humble. Today at 32, I find immense joy in time to myself and being able to enjoy the solitude of my home and its surroundings. I do not need to be on a mobile phone or have the television or music on…I can just sit and enjoy the space and I believe that is a huge achievement when I look around. I can have a very hectic social life-I choose not to. I like to still bring out the child in me who still can enjoy the whole joy of looking forward to stepping out and doing something special versus going out everyday and hitting the social scene as people would expect those living in Mumbai to do. Being a Model, you are constantly invited to some of the most happening parties in the city be it private bashes, launches, premieres or events...I would choose chilling at home anyday over doing this on a daily basis.
What people don't realize is that it takes a lot to live on your own away from home in a fast paced metropolitan like Mumbai where you are constantly having to fend for yourself…this is all not easy when you have been at it year after year. Sure, it would be so easy to step out at the drop of a hat just so that you do not have to be dealing with the four walls of your home and being on your own but then over a period of time we all know what that leads to us as individuals becoming and that is definitely not someone i can or have ever been able to identify with.
It demands a huge level of commitment and accountability to one’s self if you want to live well but then again the term 'living well' would probably have each person out there define it differently. For me 'living well' was very simply seeing i stayed 'happy' and when at home I was so overjoyed that I did not miss my family in Baroda or pine to be with them. That is what I have attempted to create in this place I have made home since July 2006 when I moved in. The energy in my home is self created, this is my world and it is a space i treasure and cherish. I love this place to bits.
One more year has gone by here and 2010 nears to an end and 2011 shall pave way for new challenges, new dreams and new chapters to be written that I cannot wait to experience.
I look forward to 2011 as I stare out of my drawing room window. I love the life I lead in this city, I love my home and I look forward to each day that comes my way and has me experience a new facet of life that has me revisit the wisdom I believe I had honed. I have grown immensely as a person this year and what has allowed for that growth and learning has been my being a better listener and a better observer of all that surrounds me daily. My close knit family and the transparent communication we share though we are miles apart is such a catalyst in the person I mature into. It is lovely to be happier with every day that you wake up to and it is beautiful to smile as I look ahead to 2011…
