Connections!

This post has been in the making for quite sometime. I started, stopped, restarted and all through it the story kept evolving and now it looks nothing like how I had intended it to start.

But before I begin my story, here is a beautiful article about the connections within… 

Fear of Silence by Thich Nhat Hanh 

'Connect' was my word for 2014 and looking back I think the word manifested itself on several levels.  Around the end of 2013, when I was trying to come up with the 2014 word, I struggled with the thought that the word is not complex enough but continued with it without understanding the full impact of its presence in my life.  And now as I look back at 2014, it is coming to me that the intention I chose was so appropriate for the way things have shaped around me.

I connected better with the outside world and also within me. My first connection of the year came from Priya of ‘Once upon a tea time’ blog and magazine. She featured an article about me, ‘Bridging cultures’ in the January issue. The link in the sidebar wasn’t working but I fixed it and it’s live again. It is so wonderful to see Priya’s magazine grow issue-by-issue she is a true inspiration.

My connection at work (work that actually provides for the bread and butter) came from an opportunity to serve as technical expert and be a liaison to legislature during last session. The perspective that I gained from the experience is beyond explanation. As an engineer it was an eye opener to see how our leaders set their priorities and our budgets.

I traveled to India and was able to connect with friend and extended family. And most rewarding was meeting my childhood friend after more than two decades.

After that last summer I was able to connect with many different artisans during my trip to India. I wrote about Chanderi weavers and there are a few other stories waiting to be shared.

My Etsy business connected with new customers and it was truly rewarding experience, learning a new aspect of a business. Reaching out to customers and creating a market niche is something that I would like to facilitate for my artisans and so I think it is imperative that I learn it first hand before I ask others to follow my plan. One step at a time…

I was able to continue my spiritual quest and was inspired to set up an appointment with Korinn, she is an energy healer and helped me rid of some of my stagnated energy and connect with my deeper self. Her analysis still rings in my mind and I often go back and read her notes to interpret her vision. I wasn’t able to pursue my personal yoga practice to the extent that I had envisioned but that just means that I need to make it more of a priority in the coming times.

My quest for connections took me to the depth of Grand Canyon, and to the rolling hills of Tuscany and it ended with an unexpected visit to the Golden Gate.

All in all, one word, one intention for the year really inspires me on a subconscious level to extend myself beyond the day-to-day expectations. Now on to new mantras, and new horizons journeying with another word