Prathima's Miles & Milestones

My concept of the word outside of school and work passion has always been associated with dance; A love that had already grown and changed course for 20 years, but neatly fit into one artistic box of my life. Dance and movement grew to be an integral part of my personality, life and being. And it always will be, but as my 20-year-old self once wrote in a college theory paper, “Change is the only constant.” Little did I know, those words would ring loud and clear with a whole new, proven meaning five years later.

Just as my love for ballet morphed into a love for modern contemporary dance, I have morphed that passion into an emotion. The thrill of finishing a ballet class sweaty, heart pumping, and standing a little taller. The feeling of improvising for a full hour only to narrow in on a single moment’s feeling of your whole body breezing through the air. The mind-tugging moment of reading a book only to look up and visually comprehend that the world is a very real place that holds beautiful people, stories, and history. Connecting with a simple violin solo that seems to capture a feeling so perfectly.

I am enthralled by moments that remind me of my humanity and connect me with others doing the same. It may seem incredibly vague, but this is what I crave, this is what I love, and why my dream(s) have altered yet somehow remained in the same vein. I truly believe that these moments are why people travel in the first place, to reconnect and to explore senses that awaken them to the world surrounding them.

Your passion, dreams, identity, and the job should support each other. Everybody has dreams and goals. Putting in the work will separate you from everyone else. Find a way to make it work. For me, this meant finding a flexible job that will allow me to take the time my personality craves to be curious: to travel, to experience, to learn. I’ve found new passions, taken steps to dare myself, and want to share my experience of being curious in different flavors of artistic experiences like Aerobics, Zumba, Yoga, Gymnastics, Kalarippayattu, Ballet, Jazz, Bollyhop, Bollyhop and now contemporary. Being a regular runner and swimmer adds on. All of these add on to my HAPPINESS.