Hope and Mountains

Posted on by thefeministwriterwhogoesmeh

It’s always fun to take a long drive to nowhere in particular because it has the air of an unplanned adventure. However, I’ve got a story that has a great significance in my life as of now, about a drive to a smol place.

This place was my grandparents’ town, and we were exhaustedly eager to meet my beloved grandma and grandpa after what seemed like a very long time. The bags were stuffed into the trunk, everyone slid into their seats and there was the traditional last minute frantic check into whether the stove and lights were turned off. And thus, we set off on our journey (I won’t use any adjectives to describe ‘journey’ coz it would be overly melodramatic and bollywood-ish).

It was a smooth ride with my dad maneuvering the car expertly. I played some travel music and we swayed our head to the rhythm, talked and laughed and felt carefree. We eventually stopped at a little resto for lunch, and had some delicious food and drink. Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, we continued. Around this time, we started on a mountain pass called ‘khambatki ghat’, full of twists and turns (literally). The winding road made me rather nauseous, but I reminded my innards that they were doin’ a great job keeping the food in and that seemed to work.

The road continued, and we traversed still smoothly. Some parts were rocky and bumpy, but they were smol and negligible. And we soon came upon a tunnel. And then my dad said something very strong. 

You see that tunnel up ahead? 
Yeah?
Remember the mountain pass we crossed?
Yep.
They were both paths made from a mountain. 
Indeed.

One was made by working around the problem.
The other was made by working through the problem.

And it clicked! I could work around my problems, but the solutions obtained so wouldn’t be as efficient as the ones obtained if I worked through them instead.

The rest of our ride was fun and once we reached, my grandma buried me in a hug. She gave me some gulab jamuns that she had made the day earlier, dripping with sugar syrup. They were delicious! We stayed a couple o’ days, and came back.

It was a fun vacation, but what my dad said never really left me. It was cutely stored in the back of mind, and I never really ended up using the advice coz corona started and my problems grew in size. Life kinda started to feel like it was at a standstill, depressing. Staying at home for months takes a toll.

After the constant messages and news about corona began to die down, I started hiking a bit. The fresh air and refreshing trees really helped me get back on track. Hiking is a test of endurance; if you wanna survive, you gotta keep going.

I went hiking today, and there was a point when I thought I’d surely slip [and die (cue dramatique musique)], but I didn’t. And then those words came back to me. There wasn’t exactly a way to work around the obstacle, but I’d gotten through it. It wasn’t exactly easy, but it worked. I could relate this to my struggles with anxiety. It felt like I had hit a dead end and that things would never be okay again, but my almost-slip on the mountain reminded me that I could overcome my problem, if I looked into the heart of it and worked on myself. All that I need’s a bit of optimism and resilience, and there would surely be hope for better times.

32 thoughts on “Hope and Mountains”

  2. Very thoughtful! Truly, it’s only optimism that can lead to achievement and self- satisfaction!
    It reminds me of the quote, ‘When it rains, look for the rainbow… and when its dark look for the stars!
    Really liked the post…. Awaiting the next one!!

    Liked by 4 people

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  3. Such a beautiful and inspirational story. I love the mountain quote/story – it’s so true, the most efficient solutions are those that work through the problem. I hope you had a nice trip! ❤

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. I like your blog and the way you wave the story, in a semi-philosophical way to a positive, inspirational conclusion, without falling into a sermon pit. My interest was arrested when I saw the word ‘mountain’ as I love them so much, and I wasn’t disappointed.
    Thank you.

    Joanna

    Liked by 5 people

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  6. Hi! I love your post. Your father sure is wise! That’s where your wisdom comes from too:)
    Keep going friend and bring in all the optimism you can 😊 I have been inactive for a bit. Apologies! Some things are sudden and inevitable and need all your attention:) I am going to take to take my time to slowly go through all your posts and enjoy them. Please excuse my speed if you can!

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. ahahaha thank you my friend; yes, my father is a wise man, I still have a lot to learn from him.

      I understand, you’ve been going through a lot too. I think you’re doing a wonderful job taking care of things <3.

      Take your time, and I can't wait to read the new stuff you have in store for us as well 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  15. Really relateble I just started my own travel blog and then covid hit and I could not travel anymore from my country. No travel planning for me at all… 😦

    Like

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