Good morning, good afternoon and good evening readers,

The thought of living simply, brings me a chaotic mind.

I’ve always struggled with the notion of people living simple lives. Much of it is my OCD, but knowing what it is doesn’t make it any easier. Stopping still, with no distraction of work, brings me alot of anxiety. But for this reason alone, I know I must throw myself into it. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, until opportunity knocks, I will be spending every day writing in cafes and eating food. Although this sounds like perfection, it’s going to be a tough ride in my mind. Oh, how the other half live! To fill my days I’ll try to be as mindful as possible, starting with my first meeting with Juliet.

When I woke up this morning I was still quite tired. To help me sleep last night I listened to a Sanskrit mantra on YouTube. I had no idea what the guy was singing about, nonetheless I felt alot calmer and slept half well. I am finally falling into the India time zone. I walked down the stairs of the homestay with my thoughts tumbling before me. My mind a puddle on the floor, I missed the final step. My anxiety was at a more manageable level. The prospect of a day on my own was dawning, but that sun hadn’t quite risen yet. That’s when I met Juliet of Juliet’s homestay.

The thing that struck me the most about Juliet, was the pure beauty of her face. It was unlike the magazine’s and advertisements that illustrate society’s idea of beauty. Those skinny women where their face is just as bland as the food they diet on. Juliet was not attractive like these women, that word would insult what she had. Instead Juliet had a radiance that shone from inside, deep down in her chest. The slightly matte texture to her skin made her complexion seem like a once clean mirror, now fogged with the dusk of ancestorial struggles. But still, just as it always seems to here in India, the light peered through the dusty speckles. It is very rare to see a woman’s face so animated by their grin. Where every slight crease of their face smiled in pure delight and their innocent love surpassed that of their daughters. I instantly felt better for having seen her face, my own personal viewing of one of the wonders of the world.

Juliet, her husband Raju and myself sat and spoke about our respective countries. Juliet told me of how London is her dream, just as many others. I also told her about the others lovely places in the UK and how lucky we are to live there. Raju then told his wife how busy London was, to which she was shocked. She thought it was calm and quiet. I’m not sure what tv shows she has been watching, but not quite Juliet. Part of me felt guilty for tarnishing her dream but the other part of me hoped she would grow to love her own home even more.

After that it was time to hit the road to the hostel I had booked. The vision of Juliet had fuelled me with happiness, enough at least to get out of the door. Throughout the streets of Kochi you will see many different tones of skin colour, much like at home. I would imagine that from afar this town would be the richest, deepest bark to ever grace the tree that is India. Caramel hints bless bracken tones and although there is much patriarchy bestowed upon their pores, the colours flow like silk. In amongst the mahogany hues burst bright carnivalesque colours. Here colours are so intense that it is hard to feel sadness for long. As soon as your soles touch your shoes your eyes widen, absorbing every spectacle of the ever turning kaleidoscope that is Kochi.

The day has been slow and the thoughts have come quickly. But on the whole I haven’t felt sad or overwhelmed. Learning to just live, to just be, will be difficult. But I know I must follow the anxiety, for that is where the growth lies.

In creative stillness,

C x