Why I am internally happier in India

I am happier here. I miss Seattle and friends and my home there but internally I am happier in India. A blog by a friend - Watching a blind man  and my recent visit to Seattle made me realize why.

In Seattle I want. In India I have.

In Seattle I was driving out of our community –

• past a beautifully landscaped garden – I made a mental note of the fertilizer and weed killer I had NOT bought. I would also get a few more shrubs for the backyard.
• past a house with the man on the roof, cleaning it – Peeyush would NOT do that. Got me thinking of all the Indian guys I knew and who would get on and clean the roof, put up Christmas lights and paint the deck. None was the answer.
• past a skinny fit woman in Lululemon joggers running uphill faster than I run downhill. NOT something I could do.
• past a hot air balloon in the sky. I looked longingly at it. I had NOT done that before. I wanted to.

In a five minute drive I had seen a lot I wanted and did not have.

In India, I don’t drive but when I am driven out

• past the crowd waiting at the bus stop at the end of a long day I feel thankful of the car I have.
•  past the shack that is a store during the day and a home at night I can’t but reflect on the beautiful spacious home I have.
• past the vendors selling cheap fried food to people that will never see a gym I think of my personal trainer, the food cooked at home and the fact that I have the time and means to exercise.
•  past the liquor store and see the line of men getting their supply for the night, I am glad I have a husband who wants to come home and loves his family.
• past the beggars and the panipuri wala with a plastic bag on his head ready for the rain as I walk into pub for drinks with friends. I feel lucky about the opportunities I have and the people I know.

I know you could look at a lot of this in India and be saddened by it. But internally I cannot be sad. I am just too lucky, too privileged; I have so much that it would be an insult to luck/fate/God to be sad. I don’t deserve to be sad. I just can’t be sad. 



PS:  When I was going to move here in a discussion with someone who had moved I said that I was scared as I'd be saddened by seeing some of the things here. He said a very nice thing - you can be sad or do something about it.
I volunteer full time and try to ensure that I do the best i can for people that I come in contact with. That does help me sleep better that night.
This post is about being grateful. Really now I am less wanting and way more grateful and satisfied with what I have.