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All work and no play makes jack a dull boy

Life should not be made about just one objective, or just one dream. It is naïve, and not mature, to aspire to eventually figuring out the one ultimate goal in life and then striving for it in a manner wherein you expend every last bit of yourself. Excuse me if I have uttered the most confusing words and have shaken your concept on conquering life. You were taught to dig for a purpose, to finalize a goal and then go for it. I agree with all that. What I do not buy is that life is about that one convoluted, bumpy path that you cross to claim your final destination; in fact, life is a cluster of foci, each as important as the other. You cannot and should not give one your all, and deprive the others of their due rights and required attention. When you do that, you lose an important aspect of your life. YOU LOSE an essential but thought-less-of race in an attempt at winning the only race you chose to consider. Very foolish.


It was 2017 and I was in the middle of my House Job, and I was desperately in need of a break. I had been on vacations earlier, in fact it had only been a year to my last trip out of city. This time was different; this time was not about what was most easily feasible, or what was already in the cards anyway. This time I was more aware of my needs as a person. I realized that I was exhausted. I felt overworked, and my emotional and mental state was in shambles. Just like anyone else I was exerting myself at work while life continued to test me in different areas as it does.


Completely normal.


Just like anyone else, i started to feel like I had had enough, but unlike many I decided to do something about it.


The tiring clinic hours had juiced me out, and the daily routine combined with the burden of personal setbacks had taken their toll on me. For weeks I yearned for a pleasant and revitalizing hiatus, but it was not going to be handed to me.


I along with my best friend (and colleague), who had recently been in a road traffic accident and was still somewhat recuperating from the trauma of it, decided to back each other up in our quest for a break to freshen our minds and relieve ourselves of any baggage that was responsible for our compromised mental states, at least as much as was possible.


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A question for the readers here: What comes to your mind when you think of taking a break?


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For us, it was travel! We wanted to travel.


Getting a couple of weeks off from work was not a big issue. What the real limitation was, was that just like any other fresh graduate, we were almost broke. Our budget was extremely limited. However, the travel plan had been locked and so began our mind-rattling sessions of budget allocation and planning of other aspects related to the trip.


 

To be continued