Nature is my true home. I discovered it when I went trekking for the first time in my life in 2013 to Langtang Valley. The six-day trip, away from mindless busy streets and ever-distracting cellphone, allowed me to immerse myself thoroughly into nature and, to my surprise, to fall in love with it.

We were three trekkers. As we climbed up with each passing day, I got more disconnected from my habitual patterns and stressful thinking ways of the city. Slowly, I started to notice nature more profoundly. Without realizing it, I was already feeling calm as we walked uphill. I was breathing deeper and healthier. Thanks to the clean and fresh air. I felt something divine about nature that is not possible to reduce into words. Indeed, I noticed it that way for the first time. Probably, it is because I was so intimate with nature for such a long time for the first time in my entire life. I tell you, I had fallen in love with nature before I even realized it.

Nature had made me so calm and relaxed during the trek that I could access myself most deeply ever. I distinctly felt my being. When I talked to friends and local people there, I had paid attention beyond the mere words they were uttering. I had listened to their silence. I had listened to my silence too. I started becoming more observant of the sounds of trees talking to one another, winds kissing my skin, white and red rhododendrons dancing mesmerizingly, and the streams flowing with exotic music. Anyone who had paid attention to them would have fallen in love with them. It is not just me. One of the main challenges of trekking is frustration, of not reaching the destination after long, long climbs. But it is nature and its bestowed magic upon us that proved it wrong at the end. The perceived feeling of frustration soon turned to victory after we had reached the destination. In other words, we felt a far greater sense of joy than the frustration during the trek. Nature did something magical to us. To say, we only spent our time and effort climbing up and down during trekking. We didn’t seem to gain anything. However, we felt a great sense of happiness and success in the end. What we gained was intangible. It was powerful!

For me, being in nature is like meditation. Due to less distraction from everyday hustles, I had a chance to pay more attention to my thoughts as they came in and out. Moreover, I detached myself from recurring thoughts that were taking a toll on me before. I was able to reflect on myself as I watched the trees passing by while walking through trails. Then, I was able to let go of toxic habits as I sat down to relax under a tall tree, listening to my breath heavily inhaling and exhaling after hours of walking. When I returned from the trip, it was a new me!

There is no single moment with nature that is not memorable. Loss is when I think about
something else or get distracted while being with nature. Nature is where I can be myself.

Nature is my true home.