enotikoitoi

Whilst reading A Strange Kind of Paradise by Sam Miller, I came across a description of Ancient India as : a semi-legendary land at the edge of the known world full of riches, marvels and monsters. Very early Greek visitors reported sighting Enotikoitoi (or ear sleepers) whose ears were so big and pendulous that they could curl them around their bodies and use them as sleeping bags. Legendary or not, I was immediately drawn to these ear sleepers. I tried and googled for an image, but it seems this wonderful creature has escaped the imagination of illustrators. I wish I had some artistic talent as I would have loved to draw an enotikoitoi! Actually I could imagine myself as one. Just like the snail or the tortoise that can retreat to its carapace, imagine being able to curl your ears around your body and shut the world whenever you wanted to take a break, and jump off the spinning wheel.

The more I imagine what a enotikoitoi would look like, the more I see myself as one, metaphorically of course. Over the years I have mutated from a fun loving, rather rebellious young girl, who had mastered the art of breaking rules to a sort of happy recluse. Of course it has taken time and many slings and arrows of life to reach this rather beatific and seraphic state of mind but I can say with a certain amount of confidence that I am not only happy but feel somewhat blessed. I am no stylite, or introvert and have in no way given up responsibilities. Far from that.

The past months  have been an ample proof of the contrary as I battled to get Ranjan back on his feet, and am still very much in the fray and will remain so till the battle is won. I however realise that I would not have been able to wage this war had I not become this happy isolate. It is probably this ability to curl my ears and shut the world when needed that enabled me to carry on without breaking.

I have often wondered why I had not felt the need to shed even a lone tear when faced with such a terrible challenge. I realise today that it is who I have become over time. Call it wisdom or foolishness the choice is yours. I simply feel that everything that happens, happens for a reason and carries within itself the way out, if you are willing to seek it.

When life overwhelms me, and believe me it does, then it is time to enfold the allegorical ears and shut yourself for the time it takes to spring back to life.

I am often asked why I do not wish to travel. The answer is simple: who needs to travel when you can simply tuck yourself in your ears like a true enotikoitoi!