Two days that felt like two weeks, clarity, and answers to questions I did not know I had. This is what mountains gave me that day. Tired and feeling defeated, I drove to the mountains after a long and very sad week. News of another dear one that suddenly passed hit me like a ton of bricks. The fourth one this year. My heart was heavy. Darkness crept in while I was driving and for whatever reason, I was surprised. “I thought it would be light for longer” I muttered. I embraced it though, and I felt the night embraced me back, with the moon and all the stars showing me the way. There is something very special about driving at night. Everything is still, there is a silent understanding between the trees and the sky, a connection that brings peace and recharges you for the day to come. The sky was sprinkled with so many little lights. “Those are the glowing hearts of all the loved ones that left this physical world”, I used to tell myself when I was a kid. And on some levels, I still believe that. Except that now, “the loved ones” include my furry little friends, all the ones that I had the honour to have in my life.
I set my tent and sat quietly by the fire, imagining how one day, this will be my back yard. The open space by the mountains and the sea, the playful flames of the wooden fire making me smile and giggle. I went to bed under the stars that night, one of my favourite things to do.
The next day I went hiking and the mountain did its job so beautifully, yet again. It was a gentle path at the beginning that turned into a ladder of roots. It felt like I was going straight to the sky. The view at the top was stunning, the lake protected by the mountain wall, the blue sky with just a few perfect white clouds. “You can let it go now, kiddo” the mountain whispered. And I did. Tears started flowing down my cheeks, taking with them all that did not serve me anymore. They made room for clarity, hope, for understanding myself a little bit better. I sat there, gazing at the lake and the mountains, feeling at home and at peace with myself and the world. The mountain emptied me, only to charge me up again. “Go now”, the mountain whispered, share this with other humans, make room for more hope and giggles into the world.