Patience—the reoccurring lesson

Another day of field research. Another day of unexpected change in plans. Another day of long group discussions. Fleshing out ideas. Fine-tuning details. This morning two of our group members were feeling physically exhausted. I took it upon myself to revive the energy so we could have a productive day. Speaking slowly to my India peers, utilizing facial expressions, and being overall energetic finally rubbed off after a couple of hours out in the field.

When I made the decision to expend extra energy to liven up the group’s energy, I did not take into account my sleep deprivation and own physical exhaustion. Last night, my brain was ticking. I could stop running through ideas for our project. At 2 a.m. I think my eyes finally closed and three hours later at 4:55 a.m. I awoke to my alarm for my 5:30 yoga class. Particularly because Kijana was joining me, I was more excited than ever to go. I can sleep when I return to the States right? I did not want to miss out on the opportunity to do yoga with Vessuda, my vibrant teacher. Of course, yoga today lasted forty-five minutes longer than usual. Vessuda continued to take us through “one last pose” at least fifteen times. It was rather excellent though! I relished every moment of class, though the exhaustion set in this afternoon. The tables turned…the energy of my group was decent and I now I was feeling drained.

Perhaps, two hours of yoga after just three hours of sleep was not the best idea.

More sleep tonight to get refreshed for tomorrow!