I spent the past week travelling. Not to India (yet), but to Chicago, New York, and New Haven in a sort of pilgrimage before I leave the country. I planned the trip several months ago after I found out that I was, indeed, going to India, and I needed a way to say a goodbye to all of my friends on the east coast. I've always been pretty dramatic about goodbyes, so why not a cross-country train trip, a week in the Big Apple, and a whirlwind party weekend in New Haven?
While on this trip, I learned a lot about the hospitality of strangers, the effects of box wine on a 20-hour train ride, how much a body can actually sweat during the night (answer: buckets), and what it feels like to get hit on the side of one's body with hot potato soup. I also learned a thing or two about soulmates.
Since graduation, I've been thinking a bit about soulmates. Who can be considered a soulmate? What are the criteria for official Soulmate Ranking? I realize that the category is rather amorphous, so I've been developing my own working definition with the help of several good friends. The dictionary definition is as follows:
soul mate (also: soulmate) noun
a person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner
So that's fine. It's a succinct definition. I feel it is lacking some important details, however.
soulmate
a person with whom one can pick up exactly where one left off, with no adverse effect
a person whose presence makes one feel like the world has been shifted back into its proper place
a person who makes one feel loved, cared for, and comfortable, yet still challenged
a person who encourages growth
I feel so lucky to have so many of these people in my life, and I feel so warm and full of life having spent time with them this past week. Make no mistake, I'm physically exhausted and totally dehydrated (thank you, New Haven), but I'm filled up spiritually and emotionally. I reconnected with people I love, and no amount of time or distance will thwart or dissipate that connection.
No comments:
Post a Comment