During the trip, as expected and perceived, the places we visited were all gifting and enchanting with the sounds of humming and chirping birds and a roaring of a river flowing down towards the human settlements and being surrounded by mesmerizing mountains capped with snow which was tantamount to serenity and a much-needed boost to mental health and an energizer for a tired body.
Further, the greetings offered by porters and ponies on the way, and while ascending further reminded of and appreciate the journey made thus far, and reignite to surpass the long hours of walking and the daunting passes that await.
All these incidences manifest and signify the awaited invitations and the hospitality we are to experience and have also corroborated the mental and paradigm shift I was seeking.
From starting with anxiety and having a preconceived opinion to accomplishing the mission without any major setbacks, I have started to believe again in positive thoughts and having the right conscience irrespective of the subjects that are presented and befall.
The harsh weather and the thin air you get to breathe which could lead to some serious threat to one’s health, even cause death is what kept me awake for multiple nights before the actual day.
There were no days passed without overthinking the consequences and to make the matter worse, started to browse Google to prepare to brave the harsh climate and withstand the hours [10 – 12 hours daily] of walking required to make it to the destination.
Ultimately, my mental health started to take a toll on me. Alas!
In a nutshell, with all the specific and exhaustive percept I brewed, I bought all the negative and pessimistic thoughts that are made available for human beings to trade.
To an extent, I even had excuses not to be part of the team, stay comfortable, and seek refuge in my little space. And further, with the insomnia I lived through during my last trip, it has become hard to embrace reality and dare to endure again.
But, almighty has different plans which reignited my desire and zeal to crack this trip.
For some official purposes, we are on a tour to Soe and Lingzhi Gewog under Thimphu Dzongkhag.
The number of walking hours we need to dedicate has least bothered me but the very thought of altitude sickness has literally tormented my mental health and it almost capsized the aim of making a trip.
Nevertheless, Due to some adjustments made in the way I conceived things and my thought processes, and the strategy adopted to execute we (I) had a successful and fruitful breakthrough and made it to our destination without much hassle except for the body aches we persevered and endured.
At the end of the day, expressing the beauty of the places and the surprises it has in store is beyond my thinking capacity. Further, the hospitality we received from the locals and the officials at every place we resided deserves every iota of applause and gratitude – we felt fortunate and blessed.
In between, from the day we embarked on a mission till the day we reached back to our destination, memories are made and ideas were exchanged which will be an integral part of our lives for years to come.
The importance to live in the present moment [Mindfulness] and hallucinating less of the future has taught me a lesson that played as a push factor and made me determined to capitalize on the opportunity that is left to seize. This has literally helped me to subside the anxiety I was carrying all the way.
After having started with nervousness and reluctance, as we ascend despite tired bodies and minds’ intent to withdraw, the lesson that I inculcated, i.e. to live in the present moment without needing to worry about days gone and days that await has mentally equipped me to successfully confront the uncertainties that might befall.
Further, embracing and enjoying the gift nature has in store to present to those seeking it has made it memorable.
The sense of accomplishment and fulfillment I experienced after reaching back to the station is beyond my imagination and words fall short of expressing the emotions that unfolded.
Phurpa's diary 