5 lessons from India

In case you missed it, I was in India giving a TEDx talk and decided to take a trip with my 12-year-old son, Jude. It was a trip of a lifetime, and we had an amazing time with Jude even wanting to stay! I am so grateful for our time there and the amount of time we spent together. In today’s busy world, this is rare. He is a great traveler, and we also take a lot with us being in such a different culture. Here is a photo of the Gandhi Memorial.

Read today’s article where I share what we learned and how we can all apply these lessons to our daily lives 🙂

Here are my 5 lessons from India:

1. Make yourself comfortable by being uncomfortable ~ Unfortunately, there is a lot of poverty in India. It stands out in all the major cities and can cause a bit of anxiety when walking. My son and I kept a low profile, often just driving through these areas and getting out of the car to see the main sites. It was interesting to see my son Jude’s reaction. I was very scared when we got out of the car in these types of areas, which is one of the reasons we kept such a low profile. It definitely made sense to be cautious, but it felt that way even in the safest cities. We were walking in one of the most spiritual places and Jude’s fear peaked when someone asked her to come into his store to see his puppies. Of course, here in North America that would raise a red flag of “stranger danger,” and it’s exactly what we teach our kids NOT to be swayed by. He was happy that he had learned the lesson, but sad that it was also inhibiting him in a new country. Again, it’s good to be cautious, but everyone in India was so friendly and welcoming and it’s different there. We ended up going back to our driver and asking him to take us to the various sites in this city. Our driver proceeded to take us through this small town, on a one way street, where the cars were not loud! He was constantly honking at cars – and cows! – to get out of the way! He actually took one for the team, and he was definitely more nervous about people getting mad that we were “breaking the rules” than seeing someone’s puppies! This was a great lesson in being comfortable being uncomfortable, which became our new joke whenever we felt a little off.

Things are going to be different outside of the bubbles we live in. Being comfortable with discomfort allows us to experience new things and be open to different ideas and ways of being.

2. Be open to receive ~ “Atithi Devo Bhava” is practiced in India, which means that the Guest is equivalent to God. We were overwhelmed by the love and service we received. They really treated us like royalty. In college, all of our meals and tea were prepared for us and served, even when we used a food delivery service instead. The staff insisted on serving it on plates to make it look good. It was incredible! Many of the students took photos of us and wanted a lot of selfies, including with Jude! At first we felt a little weird, but we quickly learned that it was rude not to accept all the great service and we remembered to receive it.

What if we treat our own guests like this? How different would our dinners and customer interactions be? Hmm… I think we are all worthy of this kind of love J

3. Stay flexible ~ we quickly realized that well-laid plans often took longer than anticipated. Instead of being so rigid and worrying if we didn’t get to certain places by a certain time, I practiced letting go and staying flexible. It was amazing to go with the flow, changes in plans were needed, and I was reminded of how this is such a peaceful existence when we operate from this place. Being a busy mom and business owner, taking control and managing everyone comes with the territory, BUT we can also take this too far. There has to be an element of going with the flow and bending our own rules. If we go too far, the “need to control” is much more about the “need to feel safe.”

Finding a happy medium in all areas of life is the best: do things and let them go!

4. Accept different cultures ~ each area we visited had a different type of vibe and we learned to adapt quickly. Holy mom it was traffic a whole different situation! She had never heard so many honks and send such a deep congestion. We learned to trust our diver very quickly. One of my favorite traditions was in the Himalayas, where everyone bows with their hands in a prayer position to greet each other. I started doing it too and even Jude was doing it at the end. It was such a peaceful way to say hello. If you see me doing this around town you’ll know why 😉

We chat about what practices we would like to bring home to our daily life, one of them is the snack. In India they have tea and cookies around 5 or 5:30, before dinner which starts around 7:30 pm. Jude especially loved this and we have imported it into our nights at home. Instead of hoping for a night where everyone is home at the same time, which is nearly impossible given everyone’s activities and schedules, we start doing it with whoever is home. I love the unexpected connection this is bringing.

5. Holy cow ~ we found out why they don’t eat beef in India (even McDonalds only has chicken). The cow is scared because she gives milk, and the idea is that they don’t take anything else from her for that. As a result, the cows roam the country freely. It still amazes me how they are able to navigate heavy and congested traffic!

Above all else was the love, kindness, and gratitude that every single person we met seemed to exhibit. From university staff to students to hotel staff to people on the streets. Everyone was grateful and kind. What an inspiration for all of us to live this way 🙂