Blank Slate
I now realise when people say that your life changes once you visit the mountains. Here, I am after visiting Himachal exactly 6 months ago. There’s not a day that passes by when I don’t think about going back there. But why? I think it’s because it gave me a blank slate, no one knew me and I could be anyone I want. I did things that were completely out of my comfort zone, I hated doing them in the moment. But when I look back now, I’m glad that I tried that local food, climbed up to the burnt part of the hill, and had that conversation about “living” with someone I met in a cafe.
But, the biggest reason I miss being there is because of the spontaneous decisions I made. I have never been so spontaneous as I was in Himachal and bear in mind I come from a family that plans 6 months in advance to visit my village and where we’ll be at a particular time of the day. I booked my first-ever trek a few hours before it was leaving. I had no equipment, not the right shoes and definitely not the right set of clothing(I was roaming around in PJs after a while I was there). I went to Himachal with 2 internet friends whom I never met in real life!!!
I have watched this video many times but I don’t think I ever realised what it meant until I was in the hills. I learned how different life was there and nobody gives a fuck about where you come from or who you are or what you do. I thought to myself then how tiny we and the problems we have are. I met someone in Dharamkhot who left his high-paying job and started his restaurant and made the best DOSAS. I still don’t understand why someone would do that but that’s an answer I’ll discover on my next trip probably?
I was inspired to write this after reading one of the best pieces by my friend.