To Aim High is Exhilarating!

Please give in to peer pressure – the HDL kind!

I never thought I would say this – especially the kind Facebook puts on you. I did fall prey and the outcome was nothing short of being ON TOP OF THE WORLD.

There are those who put you in the misery – Friends (on and off FB), who ‘endure’ adventures multiple times around the world, write prose and poetry about their journeys, and unintentionally egg you on. Anitha Reddy, MD Ramaswami, Ashok Thiruvengadam, John Serrao, Susan Jagannath, Sunil Shah , Leena Shah, Radhika Arun, Russ Arun, Akshay Nanavati, Ravi Joshi, Varun Narasimhachar, Poornima Av ,Karen Bertram, Vijay Sambrani, Anju Agast Srivats, Vibhavaree Gargeya.

Yet others, mother, children, siblings and extended family that cheer you on, as they anxiously await the finish line, so they can rejoice with you.

Then there are those who prepare you for it no holds barred – Yuri (Julian Martinez), the trainer that trains and friends who join you week after week, longer and higher to enjoy the beautiful Pacific North West along the way. Vandana Kumbla, Srivani Jade, Aparna Heroor, Vinita Ananth.

There are yet others who chose to join you lock, stock and barrel – Ramki Pitchuiyer, Karpagam Narayanan, Hemant Mistry, Sheetal Mistry Anitha Balan, Chenera Balan, Sundar Shivram and make it a life altering and memorable experience.

The ones who truly put you out of the misery – the all knowing and caring guides from Altezza Travels. They can make miracles happen.

There is only one who treated this like a late stage startup venture and got hopelessly competitive even with his partner in crime – Prakash Kondepudi.

In the end you stand alone in experiencing the absolute exhilaration of the outcome of a job well done.

PS : This one is for my aunt (Lakshmi athe) who did a barefoot climb of Tirupathi hills at 72, my walk-o-holic aunt (Shantha maami) who never let a walking opportunity pass her by and my mom who showed us how to have fun in the midst of difficulties.