Open letter - 2 (Mountains)

Dear Mountains,

  My initial plan was to hand-deliver this letter to you, but you have raised the bar so high (literally), it was impossible for me to climb your highest peak. And though I do practice hiking over trails (read: walking slowly for not more than half a mile!), my kinder garden level of education on mountaineering will never match the doctorate scale requirement of ascending your peaks, so what better way than to use my blog to talk to you?

   I am almost sure that you keep following me everywhere, how else can you explain the omnipresent presence of your beautiful sight just few minutes from my home - be it my childhood den or the one I reside in now? Watching you from a distance, while admiring your mighty strength is just too amazing to write it down into words. I love the way you spread over a wide range, while claiming your territory both horizontally and vertically. You are one proud piece of nature who depicts the power that lies within.

  I don’t know why but you remind me of a stern, yet friendly principal of school. You appear kind, polite and nice, but still it is impossible to shake hands with you or be your friend. The fun lies in admiring you from a distance, as the sight painted by your existence is totally beautiful in every way. I believe each one of us follow the same path of friendship with you. It starts in kinder garden classes where we draw two inverted V alphabets with a rising sun at the center, followed by a nice house in front (I hope that it does turn true someday). Till then, this proud accomplishment by our little hands is all we know about you. Slowly, as you enter our lives through Geography lessons, we realize you are not just all beauty, but a lot of substance too. There is loads of complicated sciences in your formation, function, types and existence in the natural cycle of environment.

   All of this is then transformed into absolute love as you spread the magic everywhere. The best part of your presence is you are everywhere around the globe. You help eliminate any feelings of homesickness because you are just the same, like back home! I agree your look is different in different regions as you prefer to dress in local attires specific to the place, yet your aura and feel is the same.

  When I look at your strong power in long ranges and high peaks, I think about the power that is within each one of us. You inspire me to believe in myself. All we need and wish to achieve in life does not depend on external factors. It is all within our core, mind and internal system that needs to be attended to.

    I admire your strength to stand tall and stern. After all, it is impossible to shake you or move you even by a bit. It instills the significance of a firm stand. Often, my fellow friends and I surrender ourselves to inner doubts, worries, tensions and fear, making us unstable quite easily. We fail to stand strong over our beliefs and inner faith. It takes several self-help books and philosophical lectures to learn what you seem to be knowing right from your birth- ‘Stay strong and true to your strength. Believe in yourself and nothing else matters’.

   I love your participation in shows directed by Mother Nature. You play the part of a handsome hero quite amazingly, as you succeed in capturing our attention quite often. And your interaction with other participants turns it into a wonderful performance, stressing over the importance of coordination and cooperation. Whether it is your close relationship with trees and plants or seasonal interaction with rains, whether it is your motherly love for grazing animals or bypassing lanes for waterfalls, you play it so well.

  Another praiseworthy factor is your committed relationship with our beloved sun. How do you hide it away every evening to bring him back in the morning? The sight of rising sun from behind your strong body and setting back again in the evening is so well coordinated. It teaches us a lot about commitment and punctuality. Follow same routine day in and day out, yet do it so beautifully!

   But, don’t you get bored of standing at one place? I cannot imagine someone can enjoy their fixed spot for years after years, yet stand smiling at the end of it all. I know there is so much that you do every day like talking to birds, playing with plants, teasing the passing winds and covering the bold shining sun, yet it takes a lot more to stay committed and stable. No wonder, every time my mind wanders away into some alien planet that I seem to know nothing about, I pull it back and bring it in front of you. I force my mind to look at your calm, steady, strong looks and learn a thing or two. Everything will happen at its own pace, hence all I am supposed to do is trust the process.

   We have made several changes of cutting through you to create major roadways. Though it aches our heart while troubling you, there seems to be no good solution to this long running battle of development versus nature. And because it is impossible to scale every possible mountain or access the ones far, wide and remote, we cannot trouble you more than just a little poke to your stomach.  

  I feel I should be honest with you. During vacations, I always preferred beaches and oceans over you, hence if the choice was between a hill station and a beach town, I seemed to pick the latter. But, you always proved me wrong because if the choice was not in my hands, the experience of visiting beautiful valleys and long mountain ranges would prove to be absolutely breathtaking. I love your hide and seek game with clouds. The sight of passing clouds producing mist and fog is so out of the world. Since I love you as well as the oceans, wouldn’t it wonderful to be at a destination that has it both? They say Hawaii has the best combination of both waves and mountains, maybe it’s time to head there! (read: one among the many attempts to convince dearest ‘husband’ for this destination)

  You are the ideal symbol of the fact ‘Strong can be beautiful too’. Your strong ranges and high peaks dismiss any popular belief that strength has no connection with beauty. I have never seen any other stronger and picturesque element of nature that combines these two into one.

  Also, thank you for holding strong winds and storms for us. I have heard you withstand a lot to protect us from the punishments of uncertain weather. We promise to contribute more from our end for a greener environment. I like it when you are green and happy, hence please do not wear the boring brown outfit that the sun dries and tries on you. It does not suit you at all.

  Till we meet again through our regular long distance sights, take care of yourself and all your friends up and below

 Yours lovingly,

A star-struck fan and long distance admirer