Month: August 2024

About ten years ago, I was in Laos for work when a delegate at the conference asked me about all the places I’d been and where I wanted to go next. I got really excited talking about my future travel plans, but then he hit me with something that stuck: “But you know, blood runs thicker than water.” It’s been so long, but those words have stayed with me.

I was supposed to head back to Egypt after this but then again, serendipitous circumstances (issues with my visa) brought me home to Mumbai, India. That visit taught me something important. Blood isn’t just thicker than water—it flows differently. It flows viscously, not quite a solid and not quite a liquid. As scientists would describe, it resists easy flow. It flows with a certain unpredictability too, reflecting the intricate and sometimes erratic nature of familial bonds.

While it is tempting to desire the freedom and fluidity of water, blood is the very essence of our being. It is what connects us to our origins, making us one with our source. A few years ago, I found out my blood has malaria antibodies, even though I’ve never had malaria. When I tried to donate blood, they told me I couldn’t because of the risk. Turns out, my mom had malaria when she was pregnant with me, so her blood quite literally runs through me. It made me realise there’s no real separation from our roots.

On a literal level, blood is indeed thicker than water due to its higher viscosity. This thickness is derived from its components—cells like red and white blood cells and platelets—suspended in plasma, which is about 90% water. So, if blood is the essence of our being, then plasma is the life-sustaining medium that nourishes, protects, and balances our vital functions. While blood connects us to our source, water is what sustains us and allows us to grow.

Blood and Water is a painting by Anne Robichaud Jordan

Our origin, our source, is in our blood, but water enables us to expand and evolve. Throughout history, across various philosophies and ancient cultures, water has symbolised life, purification, and hope—universal values that unite us and should be cherished. Let the flow of water guide you to your life partner, with whom you will create new blood ties. This new essence will be passed down to your children, perpetuating the cycle of life.

I’ve been away for quite some time now. It may sound cliché (again), but life got in the way. I’m back to share everything that’s happened over the past eight years. The last time I wrote, I was in Australia. It’s been just over a year since I moved to Canada, and it has been a wonderful new beginning.

There is nothing quite as thrilling, yet intimidating, as moving to a new country. This was my second time doing it, so it didn’t feel as daunting. Uprooting myself from one place and settling into new soil came with its own set of challenges. Just as roots must adapt to the properties of new soil and weather conditions, I faced difficulties adjusting to my new environment. It was tough, but I kept reminding myself that my roots now have more room to grow. Previously, I felt confined in a pot where my growth had stagnated.

Naturally, this made me wonder why I needed to move to a new place to grow. I’m not entirely sure, but perhaps the name of my blog has something to do with it: Fortuitous Purpose. The term “fortuitous” refers to something happening by chance, and my blog name suggests it happens with a sense of purpose. At one point, I tried to control the outcome of my life, but fate always seemed to push me in a different direction. 

The term “mismatch conditions,” coined by evolutionary biologists, aptly describes my situation—like a tree trying to grow in a pot. It will survive, but its growth is stunted. Life continually threw me curveballs to push me out of that pot, and I kept surviving with the limited sunlight and water available to me. These mismatched conditions haven’t disappeared with my move here; in fact, they have persisted. However, mismatched conditions can be blessings in disguise. Evolution relies on this phenomenon to drive growth. What has changed is that I am no longer confined to a pot. My roots now have ample space to expand, offering me endless opportunities to flourish into the tallest tree. But transforming a mismatched condition into a well-matched one requires effort. The satisfaction and sense of peace you experience once you are on the other side makes me happy.

For me, true happiness comes from putting in the effort to overcome these challenges. It’s not the promotion at work that brings me joy, but the fact that I’ve learned to set boundaries for the first time in my life and that got me the promotion fills me with pure satisfaction. The “happiness” we often chase is superficial—it’s fleeting and never fully satisfies. We end up continually pursuing it throughout our lives only to be disappointed when it doesn’t last as long as we’d expect.

Yes, life has its share of problems, and that can be tough. But remember, there is some order in the chaos. Let the universe work its magic. I’m far from having my life perfectly on track, so I’m not here to preach. This is my way of reassuring myself that although things might seem to be falling apart right now, they are actually falling into place. Murphy’s Law states, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” It’s clear that the direction I am being pushed toward, while everything seems to be fucking up is exactly what I need to move forward. I don’t like it one bit, but “I am exactly where I need to be.”

Can you believe I randomly picked this note from a bowl of affirmations passed around at work?