BEFORE YA FILL THAT CUP, GET OUT AND EMPTY IT!

Yup, not original lines, and corny as they may be – coming right out of The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari (and I am not saying that because I sold my Honda City to buy a bicycle), it's literally how I would describe 2014! After years of being comfortable, buying clothes that I didn't wear, jewellery that I never used and spending on things that I didn’t really need – I went on a cleansing binge – no doubt promoted by the depleting bank balance after I finally quit my job. But, I gotta to say what a roller coaster ride it has been…..

Reminiscing about past months I just get a sense of how much more I have done – with so much less.. so many firsts and so many experiences to be grateful for. Jan 2014 and I finally got off the bus – quit a job that I loved and I got paid well to do. What is that thing they say? Falling out of love? Must have been that, as I parted ways with a lump in my throat and at times tears in my eyes. But, if we are honest with ourselves and let our conscience guide us, we can never be wrong.

The months that followed were exciting. I set up an adventure travel company and started doing things that I could have never done till I freed myself from what took up my living hours. That bicycle became my commute vehicle and I even won a local race on it. It has become one of the more 'precious' belongings I have now.


It is love for cycling that brought me and the Prime Minister of Bhutan on the lunch table in Drukland in May 2014.  Wow - lunch with the Prime Minister... yeahhh. 


And before that, I had already led the first amateur group of Indian runners to London - making it possible for them to realize their dream to run the London Marathon. It wasn’t a first just for me and Active Holiday Company – it was a first for India and it's running community… and that was just the beginning as we started getting more and more races under our umbrella – Berlin, Chicago, Dubai, Great Wall, Munich, Angkor Wat.. the list goes on...


On to India’s first cycling tour brochure, India’s first Adventure Travel Symposium, an amazing partnership with two incredible brands – Intrepid and Exodus – yup.. we've just gotten started..



On the personal front, even though the new venture barely left me any time to pursue my love for running and travelling, I managed to realize my 42 @ 42 in 42 dream – finishing a full marathon for the first time in my life despite very little running throughout the year. All thanks to the amazing bunch of Ultra Warriors and my personal pacer Brijesh Gajera – you are my best boys! 



And, that time when I went really really broke was good test of who my 'real' friends are. Surprise, surprise – there were many.. I count my blessing and thank God for ensuring I was at the right time at the right place at various points of my life over the last four decades so I could meet you – be it college hostel room mate distress or that I had to marry my ex-husband to become friends with some… or that we ended up working for the same company (never mind that it shut down!).. In your strange ways, God – you do many things right..



If there’s anything I never get enough of – it is having fun with my young ladies – my 13 and 11 year old teenagers (ya the 11 year old has been 19 for years now!). They dance, they sing, they jump, they run, they cook, they dream and they are everything I would love them to be – just perfectly themselves…  How I enjoy their arguments, comments, jokes and at times even their temper tantrums. 

As my Godson gets ready to fly out of the nest – I feel a twinge in my heart at the thought of them growing up too soon. But I am guessing that we will soon be gouging each other’s eyes out so the pain of separation will diminish as they get ready to lead their own lives. God bless them and I will love them forever.. no matter what they do and where they live..



It's not all perfect. I missed my sister, I missed my holidays with my bestie... ya sometimes you need money for those kinda things..  


I miss my old team – in particular my 3 pillars. I miss Raghavendra’s green tea. The distance may have grown but so has the fondness. Yet old gives way to the new, as I work on building a new team and its going to be as awesome as the one I had before. 



Yet, for every minus we have in life - there is significant plus. For every penny I have earned less, I have re-used, re-cycled, reduced from what I already had - in cash, kind, willpower and courage... and boy – have I accumulated over the years! 

Most of all, if it was not for the dent in my pocket – I would have never taken the risks I took and never enjoyed the amazing experiences. If there is a way to do that without being broke, I wouldn’t know and I don’t regret it. I only know I emptied my cup and it’s not just full, its overflowing… I feel more charged, creative, fresh, challenged and happy than ever before.. and I am guessing that's what being rich is all about. 




2014 – I say farewell to you with a big kiss. You were a defining year of my life and you slipped by before I could notice you were around. You have set the bar higher. What will 2015 bring me?  Whatever it will be – I am not afraid or worried – because when the cup is empty – it can give nothing – it only takes…  HAPPY 2015!!  

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