Slow-Cooking

There is a timelessness felt living in a foreign country where the language is incomprehensible. The buzzing of people’s voice and inflections, start to sound like the cicadas’ evening serenades. I hear only the beats and the inflections. The most memorable statement is a hearty laugh. And the chaotic and colorful street scenes keep the senses twirling around the new sensations. Perhaps that’s partly what gives India its inexplicable “spiritual” feeling for foreigners. This feeling is actually the calm and peace your mind finds when it meets total chaos- when overwhelmed with every sensation, it reacts to none. But then again, this blanket statement doesn’t recognize that there are moments where you can find genuine tranquility in the surrounding amidst the sea of people. Like during the early morning walking through the crowded Velakani market, I came across an area where there was complete silence. It was along a 100 meter dirt path to the church entrance. The worshippers were all on their knees, making the slow procession towards their altar, muttering prayers as the move. And as my mind fell in synch with the sway of their procession, my cell phone started ringing. My mom was calling about my tax return, reminding me of the brewing life back home that I had left to slow-cook on the back burner.