Journeys of the Spirit

J. L. Armstrong
Aug 27, 2017 · 4 min read

This past summer, I had a big move planned but was waiting on some things to fall into place, namely a job. I was excited to move back to where I felt I belonged, but I knew I would miss Florida. So much was up in the air that something had to give, so the blog went out the window.

Sometimes, though, the universe works in mysterious ways, and I kind of came full circle. Even though I had boxes of books packed up and had sorted through my clothing, I found myself unpacking those boxes and staying put. I got offered a fantastic job with the likelihood that I’ll be owning the business one day. It’s low stress but challenging enough to be interesting, and it leaves me with enough energy to be creative in the evenings. It’s not my dream job, but then again, I’m not sure having a “dream job” is something I should be shooting for. Isn’t it enough to be satisfied and financially stable and able to pursue my interests? I’ve decided that the answer for me is “yes.”

I had continued reading books at a pretty fast pace. (I’ll include a partial list below. Partial because I didn’t keep track of dates and am not positive about what order I read the books on my “Read Harder Challenge” list.) But, I had given up on the idea of a blog. What was the point if even my friends rarely read it? The other day, I read a blog post by a reader who blogs about the books she reads not because other people read her reviews, but because she needs a way to process what she’s read. It’s easy to read and forget. Even if I do forget a book I blog about, I can go back and look at my thoughts. So, here I am, blogging for myself. (Meaningless) Bonus points for other people reading it.

The most recent category of the Read Harder Challenge I fulfilled was “read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey.” I chose A Long Way Home, a memoir by Saroo Brierly. He grew up very poor and often hungry in India. His mother, who had been abandoned by her husband, worked long hours and was often away several days at a time at her various jobs as a laborer. Saroo’s two oldest brothers would be away as well, trying to make money and provide food for the family. That left little Saroo, just four or five, to take care of his younger sister. One day, while their mother was away, Saroo’s oldest brother took him to a nearby train station. The boy grew tired, so his brother left him on the platform and told him not to move. When Saroo woke up, his brother was not there, and he sleepily decided to get on a train to look for him. The train took off and started him on a journey that would define the rest of his life.

Dickens wants to go Down Under

The train dropped him in Calcutta (now Kolkata), hundreds of miles from home. Because he was poor and uneducated, he had difficulty communicating and when adults did try to listen, they couldn’t understand him. Eventually, after living for weeks on the street, someone helped him get to an orphanage. In just a few months, he was adopted by a couple from Australia. He never forgot where he came from, and 24 years later, after a great deal of searching for a hometown whose name he thought he knew but had mispronounced (which is why the adoption agency couldn’t find his family), he found it. Before the year was out, he was in India and reunited with his family.

Was this a spiritual journey? While he talked about religion only in relation to how he was raised and the difficulty of having a Muslim father and a Hindu mother — a rather taboo coupling back then — I contend that finding home is a spiritual experience. He found a part of himself that he had literally lost. His mother told him that his oldest brother had died in a train accident, which is why he never came back for Saroo, but she was convinced that her youngest son was still alive. Just in case he tried to find her, she remained in the area. The author frequently pointed out the coincidences and happenstances that, if one thing had turned out differently, would have left him without answers. He doesn’t speak of divine intervention, but it is obvious that he is in awe of how the universe worked in his favor.

This book was an easy, quick, and engaging read. The author doesn’t do a lot of self-assessment, though he does speak about his doubts and anxiety throughout his search and the feelings and challenges he faced as an adopted child. The story is incredible, the writer humble, and the memoir a worthy and inspiring read.

Note: A movie came out last year starring Dev Patel as the title character and Nicole Kidman as his Australian mum. The film’s title is Lion, a reference to his name. Brierly also mispronounced his name: it’s Sheru, not Saroo. Sheru means “lion” in Hindi. But Saroo he remains. I look forward to watching the movie, which I have heard is excellent.


Books I’ve read over the summer:

Read Harder Challenge

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 #1 & 2, Joss Whedon & Brian K. Vaughn

George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution, Brian Kilmeade

Adaptation, Malinda Lo

Native Son, Richard Wright

Just for Fun

Paula, Isabel Allende

Pandora’s Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong, Paul Offit

The Gunslinger, Stephen King

The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, Al Franken

The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin’ Dixie Outta the Dark, Trae Crowder, et. al

1984, George Orwell

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