So after having a rough night, I’m sitting in an Amtrak train on my way to my mini-vacation. I figured instead of suffocating with a broken soul and a sense of failurism and doom all day in the Pittsburgh heat, I would go to Philly and spend time with friends, i.e. live in their house, go to the beach, be fed good food and just chill. It’s no ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ journey but it’ll have to do for now.

May I just say some of the cab drivers in Pittsburgh are awesome. Seriously. Ok just had to make a side note.

Anyhow, I reached the Amtrak station at 6:40 am this morning and was suddenly hit with a dose of inspiration. There’s something about taking the train that feeds the soul. It reminds me of the sthabdi rides from Delhi to Chandigarh and back long ago. There’s something about sitting back, relaxing, thinking, pondering and staring at the world going by with samosas (even though I don't like them that much) that makes you feel like you are traveling not just without but within. I don’t think Americans ever caught on to the art of train traveling. It’s really quite enjoyable. The only thing that sucks is you don’t get really good samosas and mazda mango drinks here like you do in the sthabdi. Other than that, I’ve got two coach chairs, side by side, to myself.

Life is beautiful. Even with all the heartache, the hurtful devastation and some state worse than death, it’s beautiful. Somehow it’s all a rebirth, even when it doesn’t feel like it.