This, right here...

They say, Fall has just started, two days ago. That it was the Autumn Equinox then. And that the colors will be beautiful for the next few days

The air is all chilly, making me wear a pullover as I sit on my dining table, working away, and wondering what I'll do with the rest of my day.

These are some of my favorite things these days...

Am in a different mood these days. Its much different than what I felt a few months ago. I feel a strange sense of peace as I sit around the house. The couches make me feel like a romantic, the fireplace promises me immense possibilities, the fluff throws I bought from Costco make me feel warm around the house, the full bar (with our basics Whiskey, Wine and Bourbon) makes me feel that am ready for winter, and above all, all my books surrounding me as I sit anywhere in the living area make me feel safe. I think this is the strange peace I am talking about.



I had all these in India, and a lot more. Family I loved deeply, friends I'll cherish forever, my couches there, and even my books. But that's the matter... my books were stocked up one corner of the house. Stacks and stacks of books all one behind other, may be even feeling neglected, if I think about it now. I read a lot there, in spite of the busy social life. I enjoyed my time with people, and with myself there too.
But its here that I feel good. My living room makes so much more sense now. The cubes with all the books that matter to me, the stacks of books that I got from the county library here and a nice little carpet making the whole place into a reading nook, and a large window by the side. The whole setting makes me feel peaceful. I might not read as much as I used to read back home, in fact, I feel am rushing towards the finish of my books because I am in a hurry to give them back at the library, but there is something about this setting that's making me happy.

Well, not more than four months ago, the husband and I moved to this new land, a familiar yet very new land, to start life as immigrants. Immigrants who, I think, know very well what they will miss in India, and what they will do here. We are here to learn new stuff and explore new places and go back home with a ton of new stories to tell our old friends, sitting by their dining tables, sipping the bourbons and beers. Yes, we know we are going back home. So we decided to enjoy our time in this country. And you know, kinda, start afresh.

That's what we did. Start afresh. We gave away everything we had back home. Only the stuff that was either a gift by a friend or something I bought as a souvenir from some place was what we carried with us. And books, after giving away 3/4s of them, we got only those that we wanted to be surrounded with.  We went through an emotional upheaval, realizing over and over again that we had way too much in India than what we thought. And luckily, all of that was in people. There were way too many people we just couldn't leave behind, and we told ourselves that this is common - people move all the time, people grow up, much younger people leave home at much younger ages... well, that was the entire point. We think we are too old to move out of our comfort zone of people. For a few years now I hadn't met new people, and I was more than happy with the lot I was around. And that line I read somewhere makes no sense in this mood - Life begins at the end of comfort zone.
We told ourselves to not brush aside an experience, coz that's what we are here for - to experience a lot of things for the first time, which we got plenty of. And the thing I value the most - learning - tons of that is happening here.

And slowly, we fell into a routine. We got a car, we started driving around, we started exploring the places, a membership in the local library, figuring out what groceries we want, a routine to cook and eat, our extra-curricular activities... everything is slowly falling into place.
I might even add we are beginning to enjoy it here. And we even laugh that knowing me, its only a matter of few years before I want to move again.
And yes, that's true. Doesn't every move tell you something about the stuff that matters to you? People you'll miss and those you cherish? The possessions that you think you need, but don't really.

There this is... all over the place. I start with the peace am feeling, at how beautiful the movie You've got Mail is, with all the book readers and book shops in it. I glance at my library book stack. I walk around to the dining area and see my own bookshelves. And I come to the laptop to ensure I don't forget this moment of peace I feel, this moment. :)