How do I tell you about myself? Perhaps, I should associate myself with a spirit animal, and draw parallels in terms of our traits!
Let’s start with my Zodiac sun sign – I am a Sagittarian. Sagittarians are known to be optimistic, energetic, spontaneous, travel-lovers, and people who love change. That sounds like me – I love change. I embrace it even as others are averse or skeptical. I jump head-first into it, and prefer to live by taking the bull by its horns.
Travel is yet another great love of mine, and I’m doing it alone, often enough. This is because spontaneity is my middle name, and I don’t like to wait around to accommodate others when my heart speaks its demands, loud and clear. I trace it back to my mother’s upbringing. She has lived in Chennai, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Shillong, Patna, and Bombay. In fact, she even gave birth to me while she was traveling – between Trivandrum and Coimbatore, I believe. She had to make a pitstop at a village called Perundurai so I could be born!
I have also lived in many cities – Coimbatore, Kolkata, back to Coimbatore again. Chennai for college, and once I graduated, I moved to Mumbai. Then to Ladakh, where I worked for about a month – not longer, for a reason that I will return to in about a minute. Then Bihar, in a village called Bettiah, mostly. Then Delhi, and then Bengaluru. When I came to Bengaluru, my friend said to me, “Tej, drop your anchor here for a while. Throw a new year’s party, buy some furniture, make some friends, cry by yourself, dance by yourself, get into a relationship, breakup and breakdown.” I did throw a new year’s party earlier this year. I haven’t managed to have a relationship though, that’s why I’m still here. (Jk)
I’m sure my wanderlust will rear its lovely head again sometime and drive me towards taking yet another adventurous leap (what sort of adventure – I cannot tell yet), but for now, I’m here and I’m home. Home! Home happens to be yet another priority in my life. In fact, I returned from Ladakh only so I can be with my ailing grandmother, who is now no more. I have certain routines that involve home. I am very close to my grandfather, and make sure that I visit him and my cousins every Diwali. In fact, last year, I took off for a trip to New Zealand and returned to India to visit them just in time for Diwali! I attribute this side squarely on my Cancer moon. Cancer is the sign of home and nourishment. That certainly sounds like me. But, then again, I’m not moody crab like a Cancerian. I don’t withdraw into a shell and become unresponsive. In fact, I’m often spirited and cheerful. When I’m not, I’m pensive and dreaming. Like the centaur, with his telescope (pssst, the Sagittarius sign is depicted as a centaur).
Looks like I have to come up with a new spirit animal to associate with. Quite recently, I stumbled upon a quote – “the strength of the wolf is in its pack, and the strength of the pack is in the wolf.” Aha! Yes, the wolf is definitely my spirit animal. While the wolf lives in packs and is a fiercely loyal animal – not unlike moi – this animal also holds its solitude sacred. The wolf explores the recesses of the jungle, and is not afraid of exploring uncharted territories.
So, if you want to know more about me, perhaps you ought to study the wolf better.
