Minding time 6.24.12

The manner in which I lost my iPod was such an absurdity that it pretty much negated all hard feelings I could or might have had about it. And since then, I’ve only realized the little blessing that it actually was to lose that little apple. We were riding the bus in the city heading to the main station back to Chavadi. As it is custom for the men to sit in the back and the women to sit in the front of the bus, Nate, Steve and I often find ourselves in the very back row, where we can all sit next to each other. The only downfall to sitting in the very back however, is that when the bus goes over bumps, we get the greatest amount of whiplash, and consequently bounce the highest. As fun as that sounds in text, it really isn’t, and I’m sure it can’t be good for your spine. That’s only part of the reason we don’t usually take the back row anymore. Here’s one of the other reasons. I happened to be sitting in the seat next to the window on this particular ride, which because of the heat are always wide open for some draft. The two metal bars across each window prevent people or large objects from falling out, but when we went over an especially big bump, the iPod touch in my front shirt pocket flew out right over them, with the cord dangling down the side of the bus. I pulled it up like a naive fisherman, knowing the line was too light to be a catch. No iPod. I told the boys, left my bag with them, and jumped off as soon as the bus slowed down enough for me hop off. I ran back to where the bump was and scoped out the surrounding area for about an hour before giving up. So I got a bite to eat and took the next bus home.

The thing is, I probably just made someone’s day. And although the battery was almost dead and I changed the language setting to German, I hope that person will find a way to charge it and figure it out, because they just found a treasure trove of good music. So I felt alright about it. And as time goes on, I continue to see the good that came of it. I no longer ride the hour bus ride into the city with my headphones in, blocking everyone out. And if I do need time to myself, I’m reading my book which is probably a better use of time anyway. Had I not lost my iPod, I may not have come to the realization that I can listen to my music for the rest of my life, but my time in India is short. Why waste my time here distracted by music from home, when I could be soaking in the sights and sounds of the things and people around me?

Since then, my time on the buses has been occupied with Tamil language study, reading, communicating with natives, and making friends. I’ve already gotten the contact info of a guy who I can play basketball with weekdays at six, James, who invited me to come with him to visit his music academy, Mohammad, who wants to practice speaking German with me, Krishnasamy who invited me to visit his family on their farm, and many others. I think it’s God’s way of saying, look at all the good that comes out of putting yourself out there, buddy.