Life is more about the journey and less about the destination.
I know you have heard this a hundred times (or maybe more) but honestly life’s much more than just final destinations. The meandering paths and the uphill and downhill roads on the mountains remind us of how life treats us, but that’s what life is all about — new experiences, some good, some bad (some even worst).
You see those small birds, looking playful, effortlessly flying in between the valleys of huge mountains covered with tall dense trees or with the milky snow. It must be peaceful there. Some birds tune in and sing songs that echo through the gorges and reverberates through our souls. Nature gives us more than just pleasing our eyes with its beauty. It helps us maintain a healthy mind and body. It is vital in keeping us emotionally, psychologically, and physically healthy.
I know very well that I’m not the only one that loves the mountains, or the lost trails and the deep woods. How can I be? Read below my poetic dialogue with the mountains.
I stood in front of a big mountain
Glancing as high as I could
Looking down upon me
The mountain told me what it should
It told me of its stories
Of the trees that hold it tight
Tall Deodars, the Oaks and the Pines
And the stars that twinkle at night
It told me of the monks and travellers
Who walked on its meandering roads
And of those who left the city lights
To settle in its peaceful abode
I asked the mountain who I am?
Feeling so small, almost non-existent
It smiled back at me with some cool breeze
And waved through the tree branches from a distance
Wearing a golden blanket
Borrowed from the setting sun
Taking a deep breath, both the mountain and I
Continued with our conversation
The mountain said —
Yes, I’m big enough but too small when
The skies watch me, from up above
Woodcutters cut trees standing tall on me
And rains erode my soil
Landslides bruise me and create a turmoil
What looks big and tough
Is not a mirror to the reality
There is a romance between us and the earth
That it keeps us grounded by gravity
And I learned from the mountains
What the books couldn’t teach me
It was mighty and I was so small
But still, its message reached me
Now I’ll share with you some lessons (though there are endless lessons) I learnt from the mountains.
Silence can be the best sound to hear sometimes
What do you hear when you are silent? More than anything else, you hear yourself — the stories that your heart and mind builds, the arguments they have, all are reflected in moments of silence.
Value the small things in life
Remember how grateful you are when you pump up your lungs with pure oxygen? Mountains teach us to be grateful for everything in life, big or small. The nights in the tent under the starry sky take us into another world, especially when accompanied by a cup of warm ginger chai (tea). Needless to say, the best things in life do not always come at a cost.
We owe everything to nature
Those beautiful flowers, the sparkling streams, the majestic waterfalls, and the mighty snow-veiled peaks — everything that we get to cherish around is a blessing in the form of nature’s gift.
But these mountains watch us. Every time. Every time we blink our eyes towards them. They hear us breathe. Inhale and exhale. And still, never take away from us the pure air and magnificent views that it gives wholeheartedly to each one of us. Isn’t it so romantic how much nature loves us, despite us being ignorant to it (sometimes though)?
No matter wherever I plan to go, I always end up in the mountains. It has been like this since my childhood, and it will be till the very end of me. That’s what I believe. Yes, I love the beach, but I love the mountains more.
The way we experience nature builds our strong connection and bond with it. Isn’t this beautiful?
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Also read My Friend Solitude
