I'm loving it.

Fall 2001 was probably the most difficult period in my life so far. As I grappled with change and the heartache that came with it ..I remarked to some friends of mine that I thought I needed to get away .. for a weekend ..go to the mountains and sit by a lake and contemplate. Now believe me, trying to find a mountain when you lived in Gainesville, FL was a lot of hard work.

I settled instead for going on a two day trip to Tampa, FL.

Greyhound was the only mode of transport I could afford.

In the drab grey Greyhound bus station on 13th Street, ....I was the most excited happy person. My cheeks flushed with the excitement that only the promise of a journey can bring. Believe me, the air was so thick with my optimism, that you could have cut it with a knife. That bus could have taken off and flown.

I was happy to get a window seat and looked out as I saw the lights on Archer road dissappear.

Just when I had convinced myself that I was out in the wilderness and darkness was my friend who would lead me into the light ...out of the blue ..I saw it. A golden arch with sub dollar menus in neon.

I had the sinking sensation that I was never going to leave the city behind.

My past would always follow me around.....like a Big Yellow sign.

Even when I chose to leave it and cross over into the wilderness .. there would still be atleast one yellow sign somewhere.

Those were strange and difficult days.

But the tide turned. It took 2 years, but time as usual did manage to outweight those heavy moments.

Once again. I was on the brink of change.

This time, moving to an unknown city - Atlanta, Ga...where I knew no - one.

I had rented a car. My drivers permit was less than 2 weeks old. I had never driven on the interstate alone before. I barely knew how to use my new cell phone.

Yet I knew that I finally had that second chance that not very many people get.

And there I was ..tossing and turning in bed. Unable to sleep.

Everything I owned in the world was in the car.

I had never been more afraid.

Afterall, everything that was now familiar and safe was in Gatorland.

My memories, my life ..even my problems, my self doubts....

All my close friends with the exception of one had moved out of Gainesville by then ..to follow their own destinies. And now it was my turn.

I think the first one hour of that drive was the most trying.

And just when I had crossed the state border - the farthest I had been from my new home in a long time.. I felt like Frodo when he left the shire. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I was aware of that precise moment when everything I knew was left behind.

And it was in that exact happy-sad life shaping moment, that I saw it again.

And burst out laughing in a way that only quasi mad self proclaimed happy artist writers do.

It was a big golden arch. Stretching across the turquoise georgia sky.

I forgot about my worries and my fears.

I remembered the greyhound trip and smiled.

That day, on that drive to Atl, I learnt something very important.

I was not afraid any longer.

Because I knew then inside my heart that my comfort zone was not a place or a person .. it was inside my mind. And even when I went to the worlds end .. it would follow me.

Like a big golden arch.

Since that day, I have lived in 3 other cities. The last of which is where I presently am.

And though there arent as many golden arches, in Delhi, Hyderabad or in Mumbai...there are still the other signs than manifest themselves everyday and they are what end up making change not just bearable and enjoyable but also a matter of adventure and a way of life.

I'm loving it.