Cold tea, anyone?

In one of my previous blogs, "Love what you do?" I wrote about how having a passion can wait until you have a steady career, a means to support yourself, and how your love for your passion would die once associated with being your primary source of income.

But now I'm beginning to rethink my stance on it.

It was a dull day at the office the other day, and I was talking to a colleague about how I wanted to take a hobby class a year ago, which I thought I'd do later, but now I don't feel like it. He said, "Baad mein chai thandi ho jaati hai", and that stuck with me; the context was different, but not really.

I never considered it that way, despite having experienced the 'thandi chai' metaphor multiple times. There were so many things I wanted to do: start a YouTube channel (where I sing), travel to all the places I've circled on the map, try different cuisines, write a book (could be a shitty book, but still..), paint, and the list goes on, with singing being at the top of my checklist.

There are so many aspects, and many more opinions on this.

My mind was racing with questions like 'What if you get caught up in the rat race, get stuck with responsibilities, and then lose your passion?'

Why can't a person really love what they do, even after it becomes their primary source of income? If it were that important, and if you later lose your love for it, was it really your passion or just a glorified hobby?

It is very difficult to steer off the course and do something unconventional, especially with the competition and the talent around. Although one would argue it is even more difficult to get trapped in the relentless drudgery, forget the thing you loved so much, and be filled with discontent all your life.

Despite the satisfaction or what you may call happiness, another aspect that plays here is being able to survive.

There are only a handful of people, privileged enough to go the offbeat way, who can struggle for a bit, and live without an income, whose families are willing and able to survive them (passive aggression included). Most of the passionate ones remain hidden under their own burdens, their responsibilities too caught up to give their passions a second glance.

I will be leaving my 9-to-5 soon enough, which is terrifying, without the security of my stable-ish income. But I'm looking forward to it. I'll explore a bit, make new tea, have it while it's hot, and also resume my fitness journey, which has taken a longer pause than I care to admit. All because I can afford to do it (not bragging, just very thankful), with a family that supports me, and no financial responsibility.

There is no moral to the story here; this is just my confusion disguised as musings, which might confuse you, too, especially if you've read "Love what you do?"

However, if I had to conclude the blog, I would say: Chai thandi mat hone dena (Don't let your tea grow cold), whether you do it while having a day job or not is for you to decide.