WHEN MOUNTAINS CALL EVERY DAY
“The apple tree
never asks the beech how it shall grow,
nor the lion how he
shall take his prey.”
William Blake
Chetna, my dear friend and an old student (some twenty-five
years ago), has been living in America for several years. She is a passionate
and relentless mountains hiker. She and dozens of her fellow-hikers hike a new
mountain every day! And she, also, shares those colourful pictures and videos on FB and
Insta everyday…
Just watching those pictures, often, makes my
head go dizzy!
But then, mountains don’t stop calling Chetna
and her fellow- hikers… My friend is not tired of the mountains!
(Chetna and her
fellow-hikers on one of the mountains)
Today, Chetna had messaged me:
“I always feel, that I am notorious
for over sharing my hiking stories.”
I responded:
“Chetna, I think, ‘over sharing’ and
‘under sharing’ are subjective terms. Like, in my case, I share my simple writings
every day. Some may call it ‘over sharing’. But then, if writing and sharing my
simple notes, every day, makes me feel good about myself (and many others along),
then, I should continue writing and sharing them every day. Likewise, you, too,
should continue to hike mountains and share your inspiring stories, every day."
Yes, others’ validation should not be the
reason for sharing my notes or Chetna’s mountain stories…
Later in the day, while I was narrating this
conversation to Ajith, another dear friend who lives in Mumbai, he said this:
“Just like how the flowering tree
doesn’t seek permission before it blooms in all glory, we don’t need to feel
ashamed, embarrassed or reluctant to let our goodness shine everyday… That’s
our Dharma.”
(Just a while after our conversation, Ajith posted a beautiful piece on his FB timeline. Please read on www.facebook.ajith.nair)
REFLECTION:
Each one of us, here on this planet, is born
with his/her own intrinsic nature – ‘dharma’… the goodness. The early we
discover it, the longer we live a life of fulfilment and authenticity.
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.’s: 1 & 3 Pixabay
2 Mushtaque/facebook.com/chetna.shetty.12
Video: John Denver/Supreme Youngster
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