Back and forth

It's time to go back to India tomorrow and it always amazes me how the mind works. Since we are always on the go and our lives are constantly changing, I have been accustomed to my mind playing tricks on me. I go back and forth between being excited for the change and dreading the change. Today, I have waken up to yet another beautiful Seattle morning and I can't imagine leaving this place. The skies are blue, the air is fresh, and silence surrounds me. But these are the games that my mind plays with me. It's so true when they say the grass is greener on the other side. You always miss what you leave behind. Just only a week ago, I was excited to get back to the hustle and bustle of India! My mind is going back and forth, back and forth! I have learned to ignore it and take what is to come. I know once I arrive in India, I will fall back easily into the swing of things...the haggling, smiling back at all the numerous friendly smiles that approach you, and living a less comfortable lifestyle. Soon, a hotel room with a TV and a hot shower will feel like luxury to us. And spending $4 on a a meal will feel like we are eating like a king. Somehow, what seems so foreign to you seems natural again within only a couple weeks. Crazy how the mind works.

Joe and I are both tired of traveling. After 8 months, it has become exhausting to live out of a bag and wander from place to place without a purpose. Our next 3.5 months of traveling is a little more structured than our last.....Yes, we actually did plan our time out to a certain extent!!!! Yikes!!!! Of course, knowing us, it is impossible to stick to plans! So we'll see how it goes. Once we arrive in Delhi, we will spend two weeks (or so) in Kashmir and celebrate our 1st anniversary in a houseboat in Srinagar. We will then make the 2-day journey to Ladakh where we will do some volunteer work for 2 months in remote Tibetan villages. And then once Diwali rolls around and India is no longer drowning in monsoon rains, we will head south to visit family in Gujarat, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Only 3 months in India this time, and I can see it go fast! We will be back again in the US on December 14th so we can celebrate Christmas. So happy Halloween and Thanksgiving everyone! And see you in a few months! We love you.