Missing Out

FOMO

Fear of missing out is a real thing. Have you ever thought that you wish you had done something that you didn’t, or you went somewhere that you really didn’t want to go to, but didn’t want to miss out? I have been home sick with a very bad cold since Thursday. (5 days). 5 days at home would be inconvenient, but 5 days in India is a different story. Coming from Miami to Pune to study for a month with the best teachers in the world is a big huge treat for many of us. Missing 5 full days is a travesty. Each day, each moment, each class, is filled with learning that is spilled on us so fast, that the learning really comes later on during practice and contemplation. We are really exposed to the teachings here, not everything is absorbed or understood right away. 

Part of the adventure of traveling, is that we are exposed to bugs that our bodies may not know. Having been couched and sneezed on pretty much all of last week with nowhere to hide, I caught a very bad cold that started in my head. I thought I had bad allergies when I started to sneeze repeatedly. The next day I realized I just wanted to stay in bed. Lucky for me I was blessed with amazing roommates who brought me oranges, soup, remedies and ginger tea. Unlucky for me the cold moved to my chest, and then to my stomach. Lucky for me that my roomies were always willing to share their experiences from all the classes that I missed, including a Chit Chat that Abhijata led last Thursday, where she answered questions and told stories about her grandfather. 

I wanted to go each day, eager to hear and learn the lessons of each day. But I also felt like my body just wanted to sleep and my mind craved silence. So I listened. I didn’t want to be selfish and then get everyone else sick. Even though I was missing out. This was no longer FOMO. It was me really missing out. So I stayed put, watched chick flicks, and practice surrender. I will ride this out, and give it the time it needs. Whatever I miss, hopefully someone else will blog about. All I can do is practice contentment, count my blessings, and watch really cool Indian shows and movies on Netflix. (When you’re in India Netflix gives you different suggestions that in the US.) 


So I rest, read, rest, watch, and enjoy my time off with myself, by myself, and all the Indian characters that made by feelings of fear, anger, regret and dissatisfaction dissolve into contentment. Today I return to Prashant’s class with a weaker body, but a rested mind ready to absorb, like nothing happened. 

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