Life Is Pretty
Earlier today, I ran my second-ever timed 10K event at the TCS World 10K. I ran the exact event last year as well, with no strong goal in mind and not a whole lot of preparation going into it. While the experience then was fun too, deep down, I knew I was capable of more. Somewhere in the second half of today's race, as the sky burst into orange and over 25,000 runners blitzed along the streets of Bangalore, I knew I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing.
My life outside work the last few months has mostly revolved around running, badminton, traveling, getting back into reading, and making and maintaining friendships. Looking back at my life a year ago, I don't think I was anywhere close to being this person. I wasn't as physically active, I wasn't doing things I always thought I would get around to, and I didn't have enough discipline to maintain doing those things. And while I don't think I was mentally unhappy back then, I certainly did not have the clarity on what life could be like if I did do those things.
Since then, I have backpacked across Vietnam with one of my closest friends, done another Himalayan trek, remembered why I loved reading as a child, and befriended so many beautiful people. I have sung along to Sweet Caroline in a dingy pub in Vietnam that warmed up to a new group of friends. I have for the first time in years celebrated Holi, right after the trek with new friends. I have swum in open water, done a few hikes, and experienced rafting for the first time (all with some of my favorite people). And today, I have hit my goal of doing a sub-one-hour 10K.
I have learned that there truly is so much joy in doing the things we want to do, it's always worth getting around to doing them. It has been a while since I've written here, and this is what life has been like. I'm loving life at the moment, and I'm so excited for what's ahead. There's a long way to go and so much more to do.