A friend suggested keeping an account of this trip to India, so, to avoid scattering musings around like eggs in a farmyard, this old blog rides again. An account of two halves separated by a six year gap.

More often than not, work can be a tough compromise, a tedious trade to keep a crust and a rusk on the table, but in those six years I’d found my ideal job: ethical, stimulating, social, creative. It was just a shame to have to leave it due to ill-health. The irony reminded me of an old Jewish joke:

“Q – How do you make God laugh?
  A – Tell him your plans”.

Speaking of which, back in the day I left home with little thought or preparation, being in the moment was far too compelling. In hindsight maybe it would’ve been better to make a plan. Maybe not doing so is a regret, maybe nature abhors a plan as much as a vacuum, either way, I guess I wasn’t the only one. 

Can we learn from the past? The films Groundhog day and The Edge of Tomorrow are about endlessly practicing to achieve a goal. Both are about the tedium of endless rehearsal, and the reward of learning from mistakes, but there aren’t many second chances out there and more often than not we need do the best we can with what we’ve got.

Thirty years ago India lay ahead as I hitched out of England, but back then the Iranian hostage crisis and embassy siege denied tourist visas to English passport holders which had me stranded in Turkey. I should’ve seen that coming but did’t think. So now, though the overland route is open again, I plan to fly and fulfil an old dream in a different way. Maybe not so romantic, but this time there’s a better chance of making it.

Better prepared 😉

It’s later than you think.