What Makes The Quality Of My Life Rich?

I have lived a life where what I wanted in life is priority. I had a single minded focus on travel. Travel is expensive and you cannot do it if your pockets are empty. Travel of the kind I like not as as a nomad. Nomads can live n travel without money.

I never had the pressure of earning money for a living. My father never ever put it on me. I am blessed I earned enough to travel in luxury once a year and on budget whenever I wanted to. If you ask me what I did with 18 years of salary, well it was enough for me to run my every day life and have a small investment. Above all freedom to travel the way I like. The way I have lived it is not possible for a person whose goals in life are to own a home, car etc. I have a car which my organisation made it easy to own. I used it for all my travels until a few years ago. I used to drive every morning to work in BLR through mad traffic and scenic roads n villages of rural BLR that were on my route to Electronic city. This even though I had a full time driver. I stopped driving after I dashed into an auto. My dream of driving cross country was never fulfilled. I do wish to get back to driving now that my nephew Pranav has learnt driving.

I got married to Arvi at an age when I felt the need for a partner and fortunately I found the sweetest husband. Even in our marriage travel was the most important thing. Our year was planned around where we would want to be in what season? So it was cool months in Udwada, Summers in Thal, Rainy season in Panchgani and Our anniversary month of Dec at a new destination. Arvi had spent a life building two businesses and due to health and the responsibility of his ailing sister had not travelled like I did. Arvi loved luxury so we chose that in our travels mainly because of his health restrictions. I ensured we had access to a Doctor at all times. Thinking of it now, I feel I was a tough nut all that time. I risked it but made beautiful memories with Arvi.

Besides travel I have built parallel economy for myself through several hobbies. I continue to blog after 15 yrs. Even before the blog I loved needlework and used to embroider, stitch, knit and crochet etc. Creativity was my thing. Blogging gave my creativity a new outlet. I got into photography a big way. My food photography also gave me money for a short while. I was writing for India food network too. That’s when they offered me the rearchitecting project of their website. The website has undergone 2 more cycles after it. Currently done by someone else.

Then came along Deepa Krishnan who brought me into demo and dining experiences for Magic tours. Though they have been sporadic. I did few on my own. I have conducted few baking classes too.

However I was doing all this while Arvi was my top priority. My hobbies gave me sanity in the challenging times. My Baba was very independent till the lockdown started. He lived on his own and cooked for himself. He spent a lot of time in Gondavale and pursuing his goals in spirituality and religion. He has been my rock all my life. It is only in the last year I had to take care of him. I have never ever seen my father frustrated with life. I learnt that acceptance of life the way it is doled out to us from him. We had lost my Aai when she was just 44.

I get my bounce from my parents. I get my outlook to life from both of them too.

In the current scenario I never feel lonely because I have built relationships that are loving with family and friends. Some new who hold me dear. I connect easily with youngsters. They brighten my life. Just to mention few things they say to me that make my day.

1. A friend’s 8 yr old daughter, “Anjali aunty you talk like a bird!”

2. Another family friend’s teenaged daughter, “Aunty what’s your skin routine?” None I reply. “Your skin is so smooth, I want to lick it!” I push her back, the drama queen that she is. Just keep washing your face with water as often as you can I tell her. Guess I am vain and I can’t forget this love

3. Cut to now… a young set of boys want to have a potluck at my place, dishes that they will cook themselves because I cannot be offered anything less. They don’t want me to have the pressure of cooking for a gang. They find me cool. Ahem! I am flattered

My loves are my nephews and nieces. I am very much into them. I must not become a helicopter mom to them I remind myself.

Grateful to Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj for this life.