How did I get here from there? From the inside-out.

After setting out in '74 at age 16 to go to India and never making it, my desire was intact 33 years later to have an authentic life experience in this mystical and magical country. Despite intensive personal and professional world-travel, I had yet to make it to this long-cherished destination. For years I had maintained a firm goal to some day be relocated to Asia and live there a few years to round-off my global life and work experience, after the past 7 years in California, 32 in France, 1 in Africa and 9 in Ohio where I was born.

Kamala, my partner, had been open all along to move to Asia, should I find a job there, and was even more excited if we were to go to India.

Having been laid-off in the midst of a mega high-tech company acquisition, I traveled 3000 miles alone on my motorcycle in October 2007 through the Southwest to regroup and decide where to next take my career, and realized that those few weeks were insufficient to re-actualize myself and determine what I wanted to do for the next 15 years of my life. The idea of a one year sabbatical with the intent to slow down, put my life into perspective and claim my spiritual aspirations was working in the background as I came back to California.

The toll of executive corporate life was hitting my motivation and I just couldn't resolve to immediately take yet another HR role. The past few years had been knee-jerking, grueling for my team and myself. I was gaining clarity on the origins of my difficulty adapting to the company culture and leadership team's style. I guess the clarity was mainly accepting what I knew already and had agreed with myself to deny. It was that my time was consumed in meaningless activities and I was muffling my passions to fit into the role and the environment.

I then reflected on the materialistic turn of my successful corporate life. Looking around my apartment I came to the conclusion that the only one thing I was missing was nothing. And that I should be seeking just that.

So here we are, closing a chapter of our lives, selling our vehicles, packing all our belongings, terminating accounts, moving our two apartments into one 9 x 18 storage unit and embarking with all ends open and few reference points
How will this change us?

How will we deal with all the travel unknowns?

How will we deal with one another?

Where will we be in a year from now?

How will I re-engage with the corporate environment? or will I?

We are leaving California in one week and have been processing the loss we are creating. Every package we move brings us closer to our departure, yet already further from our known life here and affects us in a deeply cathartic way.

Our emotions are colliding in chaotic and unexpected waves. So many things will be distant, some will be lost forever. Our families, friends, comfortable conveniences and known pathways will be left behind. We are shedding our skins. Our identities will be lost. Only to be renewed during our adventure.
To be re-created from the inside out.