Random Musings

After many years today, we – my wife and me – walked to the Siddhivinayak Temple, from home.

It’s a kind of pilgrimage that many do and have done, and we have done too, but this one was after a while, and with legs and bodies that were not in the prime of fitness. By any means.

I have many friends who run half-marathons and full marathons, and my walk to a temple is trivial, compared to their routine achievements. However there are many other friends who are not into fitness and exercise as much, and neither am I, and due to which reason, this is a small achievement for me, at least!

So why did we do this?

Multiple reasons, I guess..

1. To do the darshan

2. To see if we could still do it. Meaning walk all the way to the temple. We had reckoned that if things really went bad, we’ll take a cab. So we were checking if we could manage without taking one.

3. To pray for the health of a dear friend

4. Finally, so I could come and write this post 🙂

So few thoughts from the walk, to share:

1. I had a lot of hesitation about this last night when we were contemplating it. For various reasons. For the doubt whether we could still walk the distance and whether I really wanted to put myself through it. Also because there was enough work to do, and if I had to get up early, I may as well do the work that was piled up.

2. Well, finally I decided to plunge in. There is no end to work. But these opportunities to ‘dance on a chance’ are few. And I went for it.

3. Even so, as we started from Chembur, the vision of Dadar and Prabhadevi, seemed far away. And were almost depressing. If I had stuck to that thought, we’d have taken a cab sooner or later.

4. But I changed focus to smaller goals. Thought in terms of one target at a time. And suddenly it was not that bad. A back of the mind understanding of the larger goal at a distance, but immediate focus on the smaller goal which was not that far away, and always seemed achievable. This worked like a beaut. I guess we can see the metaphor to work and life goals, in this!

5. So these were the smaller targets and the time line that we took:

a. Residence (close to Maitri Park Bus Depot) to end of Chembur (Priyadarshini Bldg):

Start time 4-40 am, reached 5-15 am (35 min)

b. End of Chembur to Sion Circle:

Start time 5-15 am, reach 5-50 am (35 min)

c. Sion Circle to King’s Circle:

Start time 5-50 am, reach 6-15 am (25 min)

d. King’s Circle to start of Tilak Bridge:

Start time 6-15 am, reach 6-35 am (20 min)

e. Tilak Bridge to Portuguese Church:

Start time 6-35 am, reach 7-00 am (25 min)

f. Portuguese Church to Siddivinayak Temple:

Start time 7-00 am, reach 7-10 am (10 min)

Total from home to temple:

Start time 4-40 am, reach 7-10 am (2hr, 30 min).

6. I had carried my phone and ear plugs too, with an idea to catch up on podcasts, etc. I did not use them. I thought it was just great to walk without these disturbances, and observe things and life at that early hour. And spend some me-time. Yes, the wife was walking with me too, and we exchanged some words in between, but mostly we were focused on walking, and  the talking did not go that well with the walking. Observing and thinking was fine! So I observed and I thought.. 🙂

7. At 4-40 am, you feel quite safe in Mumbai. Perhaps even earlier. Thank God we live in Mumbai!

8. Post monsoons and post pot hole days, the roads in Mumbai are fine. By and large. We walked mostly on the roads, even where there were footpaths. Because with footpaths, every now and there there are the paths to enter buildings, and the footpath goes a little down and a little up, as you walk past it. With a longish walk, you don’t want those ups and downs. You may as well walk on the road, face the traffic and have a smoother walk. (A metaphor again??)

9. There were many patches where it seemed like we were on one of those electronic walkways. Where we were standing and the road moved us ahead. I mean, the exertion was minimum and the momentum took us ahead at a rapid pace. I guess, a lot of times in an entrepreneurial journey, we hit such patches. One has to make the most of these, move rapidly, and cover maximum distance!

10. One could have walked alone. But it is great to have a partner with you. To be with you on the rough patches as well as the smoother ones. To celebrate the intermittent targets reached, and then to be with you, at the destination! As you thank God there, for making it happen! Totally metaphorical, and so true for entrepreneurial journeys as well.. 🙂

I may add that this walk was also in celebration of another walk that me and my partner have been on, together, for last 23 years. We celebrate our anniversary tomorrow, and I am so glad to have a partner to share similar joys. Be it, of such walks, or to the innumerable movies that I insist on seeing, and which she gamely accompanies me to..

🙂