The best and the worst part of army life is getting posted out. It teaches one of the most important lessons of life very simplistically , "Nothing is permanent in life !"
We are born and conditioned in life with ideas about me, myself , my achievements, my belongings, my home , my friends, my colleagues ....so on and so forth. We gather this baggage as we journey this life and along the way we get attached to these experiences. We start giving so much importance to this cosy environment which we live in that it is impossible to imagine a life without it. One has created a comfort zone around oneself in a short span of say three years in our case. Much more in the case of people who never venture out of this zone ever.
Now imagine that you are suddenly uprooted from this comfort zone of yours. It is really nerve wrecking at times when you know that the time to move on has come but you still don't know where you are going to go. Then suddenly one fine day you come to know the place you are supposed to move to. You suddenly loose that fire and interest in your work.....we call it PONI mood.. Posted out not interested !! Everyone around you will either congratulate you or console you depending on where you are going.
Suddenly it is as if a bond has been broken. Something snaps somewhere. Although everyone will be very nice and will speak all the good things about you and will pack in lovely sendoffs, something happens. It feels like you are not part of the team anymore. You become detached to everything that's going on near you. It's as if you are watching everything from a distance. It can get a bit creepy if you are philosophically minded. Your frame of mind totally shifts. And it happens to not only you but to the entire family. The kids start fearing and lamenting the loss of their friends. The new school and new environment which they will have to face shortly. Your spouse will be the worst affected because she will be uprooted totally from whatever career she is trying to build !!
And then getting back to the dirty work and the nitty gritty of planning the finer details of your move. You have to get hold of the transporter and get a suitable transport arranged and then strike a deal. And then start packing all your stuff. That's the most heart wrenching part of it all. To see your lovely home turn into a devastated looking mess......as if a tsunami has hit you. It really pains to see what you have built over the last few years suddenly melting into non existence. But you and your family knows that there is no turning back....
The sendoffs and see offs are beautiful traditions which have been meticulously followed and help in buffering the impact of change. They make you feel wanted and valued and boost the overall process of letting go...easier.
You wake up to a new dawn in a new place in a new environment and the next step starts. Acclimatization !! You start adjusting to the new climate, new surroundings, new people and new colleagues. And a new frenzy starts. To get school admissions, accommodation, phone & net connections etc etc..... And in the meantime stay put in a guestroom of the mess. A welcome break from the hectic month which you have endured to get to this new setting. And the lull before the storm which follows once you get a new house which you will call your own for the next few years!! And one will be damn lucky to get it very quickly without the agony of shifting from one temporary accommodation to another. And then once again you start putting your heart and soul into your abode for the next 3 years. Fixing it, decorating it and then enjoying it.
It is amazing how fast the human mind and body is capable of adapting to the new place. That is most surprising and fascinating part of this entire process. It is fairly easy for me to adjust as I keep on doing the same kind of work in same type of work culture, except for some change in the colleagues and a little adjustment is all that is required. But kids, I found them to take the challenge so very maturely that I found it difficult to believe that they could ease into the new environment so very easily. That goes into developing their personality I hope.
Finding a new job and career options for your spouse remains a major challenge and at times you have to be lucky to get a decent break.
We are born and conditioned in life with ideas about me, myself , my achievements, my belongings, my home , my friends, my colleagues ....so on and so forth. We gather this baggage as we journey this life and along the way we get attached to these experiences. We start giving so much importance to this cosy environment which we live in that it is impossible to imagine a life without it. One has created a comfort zone around oneself in a short span of say three years in our case. Much more in the case of people who never venture out of this zone ever.
Now imagine that you are suddenly uprooted from this comfort zone of yours. It is really nerve wrecking at times when you know that the time to move on has come but you still don't know where you are going to go. Then suddenly one fine day you come to know the place you are supposed to move to. You suddenly loose that fire and interest in your work.....we call it PONI mood.. Posted out not interested !! Everyone around you will either congratulate you or console you depending on where you are going.
Suddenly it is as if a bond has been broken. Something snaps somewhere. Although everyone will be very nice and will speak all the good things about you and will pack in lovely sendoffs, something happens. It feels like you are not part of the team anymore. You become detached to everything that's going on near you. It's as if you are watching everything from a distance. It can get a bit creepy if you are philosophically minded. Your frame of mind totally shifts. And it happens to not only you but to the entire family. The kids start fearing and lamenting the loss of their friends. The new school and new environment which they will have to face shortly. Your spouse will be the worst affected because she will be uprooted totally from whatever career she is trying to build !!
And then getting back to the dirty work and the nitty gritty of planning the finer details of your move. You have to get hold of the transporter and get a suitable transport arranged and then strike a deal. And then start packing all your stuff. That's the most heart wrenching part of it all. To see your lovely home turn into a devastated looking mess......as if a tsunami has hit you. It really pains to see what you have built over the last few years suddenly melting into non existence. But you and your family knows that there is no turning back....
The sendoffs and see offs are beautiful traditions which have been meticulously followed and help in buffering the impact of change. They make you feel wanted and valued and boost the overall process of letting go...easier.
You wake up to a new dawn in a new place in a new environment and the next step starts. Acclimatization !! You start adjusting to the new climate, new surroundings, new people and new colleagues. And a new frenzy starts. To get school admissions, accommodation, phone & net connections etc etc..... And in the meantime stay put in a guestroom of the mess. A welcome break from the hectic month which you have endured to get to this new setting. And the lull before the storm which follows once you get a new house which you will call your own for the next few years!! And one will be damn lucky to get it very quickly without the agony of shifting from one temporary accommodation to another. And then once again you start putting your heart and soul into your abode for the next 3 years. Fixing it, decorating it and then enjoying it.
It is amazing how fast the human mind and body is capable of adapting to the new place. That is most surprising and fascinating part of this entire process. It is fairly easy for me to adjust as I keep on doing the same kind of work in same type of work culture, except for some change in the colleagues and a little adjustment is all that is required. But kids, I found them to take the challenge so very maturely that I found it difficult to believe that they could ease into the new environment so very easily. That goes into developing their personality I hope.
Finding a new job and career options for your spouse remains a major challenge and at times you have to be lucky to get a decent break.
So finally you have come a full circle and a new beginning is made. You gradually become more and more adept at playing this game. But over a period of time it makes you more philosophical and teaches you the guarantee of impermanence in life. So cherishing the journey as it unfolds, building new bridges along the way and to fondly remember the associations formed, make this journey so very rich. The promise of opening up of new vistas and the wanderlust keep you going and craving for more.......
