Leaving

I don't like leaving people or places. I suppose nobody does. There have been a few places that I have been happy to leave but as I am getting older, I notice that leaving is getting harder and I get more attached than I used to. Still, leaving Unnao is a smallish task compared to the number of heart breaking times I have had to leave my family and compared to the time that I left the country that I loved (the US) for good.

Since we completed two years in Unnao last December, we have been talking about and praying about and even dreaming about leaving Unnao. We are tired of the mosquitoes, of small-town living, of hindi-speaking, salwar kurta wearing people. We are more than ready to be done with our ever present electricity problems. There is hardly anyone who understands us and hardly anyone who we can commune with on our own level.

But still I am finding it hard to leave. I have loved this house- its space, the safety it offered, its surroundings, its unique beauty. I loved walking down to the train station with Chetan every evening where we would talk and buy cold drinks and chips everyday while sitting on a little ledge watching trains go by and enjoying our snacks. I loved going vegetable shopping right near the train station. What a special time it was with Chetan and this kind of treat will not be offered to me in a city.

More than the place, though, I will miss the people. The everyday people of my life. I feel so sad leaving my maid. For 2 full years, she has been part of my life everyday. She has not only worked for me but has shared in my life and has allowed me to share in hers. She has been such a good friend.

But most of all, the reason why Unnao will always have a special place in my heart is because this is where my boy grew up. This is where he learnt to sit, crawl, walk, ride a tricycle, use a potty. This is where he formed his first words and ate his first real solid foods. This is where we celebrated his first two birthdays and Unnao was the perfect place for a little baby to grow up to be a toddler.

Yet, I learnt at a very early age that even though leaving offers heartaches and inconveniences, it also opens new doors. It lets you meet people who could affect your life profoundly. It makes you appreciate the every day life and the every day people simply because you never know when you might have to leave them again, so you just learn to appreciate what you have for the time being. Leaving creates richer experiences for you to experience and gives lessons for you to learn which you never may have learnt had you not left. And best of all, leaving presents you with the opportunity of drawing strength and comfort from God.