As the clouds shift from pink to grey and the evening breeze rolls in, the high pitched sound of a child’s giggle rises above the symphony of rush-hour horns. Fighting the heaviness in my jet legged eyes, I squint and bring Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s words into focus.

“If you wish to know something about India, you must empty your mind of all preconceived notions, of what you have heard or read. Why be imprisoned by the limiting vision of the prejudiced? Also, don’t try to compare. India is different and exasperating as it must seem, would like to remain so. You will not find any of your familiar labels useful. India is many and it is one.” – Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

You must empty your mind of all preconceived notions.

India has already shown us why she is the perfect host for our 12 cancer survivors. Isn’t this what picking up the pieces after cancer (or any big loss in your life) is all about? Emptying your mind of any preconceived notions of who you are supposed to be or how you are supposed to feel so you can start by accepting what is. Right here. Right now.

By this weekend, 12 people from across North America will push through the barriers of their comfort zones (many for the first time since recovering from cancer). They will arrive in a world where the mere act of riding in traffic forces them to surrender to the chaos and trust that somehow they will end up exactly where they are supposed to be.

As we sat on the balcony of the CCS flat this afternoon, I asked our filmmaker Mark Halliday how this compared to his other travels. He said, “I’ve never been further out of my comfort zone, but I’ve never felt more comfortable.”

Sometimes when you travel to the other side of the world, you end up finding your way back to yourself. Thank you for joining us in giving this gift to the 12 survivors who are about to arrive in India and to the many who will follow in their footsteps.

And, a special thank you to our fiscal sponsor, Phase One – The Road to Curing Cancer and our prize donors: The Renaissance Harbourside Hotel, Movado, Murale, Look Good Feel Better/Facing Cancer Together, Linacare, and Teresa Rhyne.