Have you been watching Oprah’s Next Chapter, the show that follows Oprah on her travels to India? I confess… I am an Oprah lover. Even if you aren’t an Oprah lover, this series is a must-see.

Over three different shows, Oprah travels to India and shows India in all of its paradoxes: its richness in culture, tradition, and religion; and its chaos. In one episode, she visits both the slums of Mumbai and a prince’s palace in Jaipur.

As I watch the series, I have to admit: I feel proud to be an Indian, even with all of its paradoxes and imperfections.

Nothing in life is perfect, and India depicts that perfectly.

With a population of over 1 billion, hired help is easy to find, which makes India both a luxurious place to live but also crowded and uncomfortable.

I have gone back to India every four years, and — though this certainly isn’t everyone’s experience — each time that the plane lands, I feel at peace.

I was about 8 years old when I went to India for the first time. I remember playing with the hired help in my Uncle’s middle class home, and then walking out of the flat (a place of luxury) onto the streets. Out there, I saw children my age begging for food, surrounded by cows, goats, and dogs in the middle of the roads roaming along without owners.

The most amazing thing about India is that you can’t help but just surrender and see that life is a symphony of variables. You desire, you put in the effort, and then you let go and trust.

Our living situations are pretty secluded here in the U.S. as compared to India. If you plan for your day here, for the most part, the day can go that way. (However, seldom does the day always go exactly as we would like.)

There is ALWAYS something that can throw your day off. The car has no gas, the kids get sick, the meeting time changes, the bus shows up late, or you couldn’t sleep the night before.

But the craziest part is when our day or life doesn’t go as planned we blame ourselves for it.

We immediately jump to either feeling like the world is out to get us or like we did something wrong.

When you live in India the chances of something interrupting your day is two to three times higher. The doors of your home are open all day, people drop by without calling, and homes are often filled with extended family. Most people have a cook, driver, and someone to clean the home and managing that staff is like managing a team.

Having the day or life go as planned is just not an option. As a way to adapt, you just try and plan, you put in the effort, and…

TRUST.

There is little self-blame happening because they have surrendered to knowing that everything has its time.

And in LOVE, this is something I see a lot of women not understanding. They have a plan with LOVE. And when reality doesn’t match up with the plan, they beat themselves up for it.

There is a time for EVERYTHING.

Keep believing. Keep trusting. Keep knowing that if you desire it, it will happen.

If you exist, he exists, and therefore LOVE is inevitable.

What do you desire? When have you seen your desires answered by surrendering?

Please share in the comments!

In Love,