Sitting under a coconut palm in Goa, India, watching butterflies flutter to the sound of crashing waves, I am still enough to let my mind wander.

Pure amazement radiates from within. “How have I come to this moment?” I ask myself.

I have always loved to travel—not an easy thing for a girl from a small town in the deep American south. World travel has the power to make one curious about karma and destiny and the signs along the way that inform us of who we are and where we will go in our lives.

There are many people crossing our paths, arguably daily, that will never pay attention to these signs. They end up accepting status quo, blaming fate rather than finding their inherent destiny.

Fate is what happens when you don’t choose. Life chooses for you.

But destiny is another thing altogether. It’s important to court destiny like a lover. You have to constantly work at it and follow faint voices or intuitions that give you hints. Say “No” to what does not make you sing. Try to notice with great attention to what does—and stick to it. Have the will and courage to dream.

In a globalized world, where you can find almost anything almost anywhere, there’s something especially thrilling about being East. In all of its vibrancy: India is still relaxed.

Once our busied minds truly retreat and embrace India‘s innate qualities of relaxation, we can begin to nosh on what it is we are meant to do.

Finding one’s destiny takes a big appetite; and it’s never too late. The question is, how hungry are you?

~

Author: Peggy Markel

Editor: Katarina Tavčar

Photo: Author’s own