Tingling taste buds

Most of us run in circles trying to find a true meaning to the life that we live, some of us end up finding it, some of us continue running in circles. Being someone who's ambitious and driven, I often found myself at cross-roads when it came to my career. Being a trained lawyer made me want to stick to a place and being a traveller at heart made me indulge in wanderlust. My mind would often wander to places that might bring in a semblance of excitement that I craved for. My life choices would often come to the fore and I would find myself questioning certain situations I often found myself in. Having quit my second job and in the process of quitting the third one, I found myself wondering why was I doing this to myself. I just needed some peace and a place to figure out what I needed.
I called in sick at work and decided to take off on my own. There wasn't really any place I could think of going to. But one place that struck my mind- a place away from the hustle-bustle of the town I lived in, tucked away in the hills, by the sea coast. I visited the Vipassana Pagoda in a quaint locality of Gorai. I left home early in the morning and took a ferry ride into the erstwhile brown sea waters. The salty, fish-laden smell of the waters hit my olfactory senses and would bring my wandering mind back to the present. I reached the ferry stop in 20 minutes and a further 20 minute walk along the small hill side brought me to the Pagoda. The pagoda here is a Buddhist temple in the shape of a dome. It was a walk to be cherished, the chirping birds were in a blatant contrast to the calm atmosphere that accompanied the serenity of the place. Placed atop a hill, in the tiny little hamlet of Gorai, the place evokes a confident serenity into one's heart. I entered the temple and meditated for what seemed like a few minutes but was a good hour or two. As a left the pagoda I was filled with a sense of calm. I think I had cried too. My monkey mind had somehow come to a standstill, it seemed to have found a home within. As I came out, I was greeted with the beautiful dusk that was fast approaching drawing into evening's beauty. I smiled inwardly. The birds chirped, the leaves rustled, all seemed to be agreeing with me. This was the first time I took off on my own to an unknown place and this is where I actually found myself once again. By the end of the day I knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to travel, I wanted to write. This was my outward journey which drew me inward.