Threads.

I have not published anything on this platform for six months. I have nearly ten drafts of different hospitality-related topics that need to be reviewed and edited, yet I cannot bring myself to get it done.

I know. It’s completely on me.

To be honest, I am in a state of pain and grief. Four months ago, I lost my grandmother. I spent 21 years with her. Her passing has been extremely difficult to cope with.

Whenever I proclaim myself as a third generation hotelier, it comes from a place of pride. The foundation of that pride is my grandparents and the humility and work ethic they demonstrated throughout their entire lives.

My grandfather passed when I was 11. That was difficult for me then too. But I still had my grandmother. I still had one physical thread that tied me to my roots. When she left this past October, I felt as if God had cruelly cut that thread. She had only one wish. The day that wish would come true wasn’t too far away. 

What followed after her passing was an immense lack of inspiration in everything. The thing with inspiration is when you don’t have any, you tend to self-reflect. Even if you’re not trying. For the past few months I’ve thought about how I am going to take better care of myself mentally and physically. I’ve thought about how I am going to take care of my family. I’ve thought about the next steps in my career.

Surprisingly, I’ve thought about this site that is just taking up space on the internet at the moment. I created tejalpatel.co because I wanted an informal outlet to share my thoughts about hospitality and maybe other topics.

As I was thinking about my journey so far and those of the two generations before me, I got this sudden urge to write these thoughts. No previous drafts and no second set of eyes to review over this. I guess I’m realizing that one doesn’t have to lose inspiration when they lose a loved one.

“Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died. Therefore, you should not grieve over the inevitable. The spirit is beyond destruction. No one can bring an end to spirit which is everlasting.”

My grandmother will always be with me. And so will my grandfather. They will walk alongside me in this unpredictable adventure in spirit. They have so far. Their love will always be there to support me and keep me grounded. These invisible threads are my strongest ties. 

Stay tuned. Those drafts are coming out of hiding.