I am the kind of person who thrives on making lists. I make grocery lists, lab-chores-to-finish lists, which-cupboard-stores-what lists (both at home and at work in case you were wondering), and so on. In fact, when we moved houses four years ago, I even listed the pros and cons of moving vs. staying on in the same apartment.
This compulsive list-making would sound weird to most people except those friends of mine who've known me for years. I've found that jotting down both sides of an argument helps me think more clearly. This way I take decisions which I rarely regret later.
This compulsive list-making would sound weird to most people except those friends of mine who've known me for years. I've found that jotting down both sides of an argument helps me think more clearly. This way I take decisions which I rarely regret later.
So, after a year of constant struggling I finally decided to list both the good and the unpleasant aspects of my current life in India. The non-stop 'get used to things here vs. move abroad again' arguments in my mind were becoming increasingly disruptive. The only way I could think things through rationally was by putting it all down on paper.
When I finished writing, the items on the plus side were far outnumbered by the things that I strongly disliked about my life here. It was only after I read the entire list that I realized that the things I regularly complain about are relatively minor issues. Those two or three things listed under the plus side overwhelmingly tilted the balance.
I always knew lists are useful things.
