Remember You Are The Sun

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your life is not meaningless, you just haven't seen the sea in a while or the forest. or the mountains. or wherever fills you with wonder and calm.

via pinterest

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“Do all six-year-olds know what death is? Or is it only children of war?”

-As long as the lemon trees grow by Zoulfa Katouh

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Virginia Woolf’s New Year Resolutions (1931): “To have none. Not to be tied. To be free & kindly with myself. Sometimes to read, sometimes not to read. To go out, yes—but stay at home in spite of being asked. As for clothes, i think to buy good ones”

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it's a paradox, really - the sea's ability to both soothe and terrify us. to be a source of comfort and a force of destruction. to make us feel small and insignificant, yet at the same time, part of something much larger than ourselves. but maybe that's what makes it so fascinating, so captivating. maybe that's what draws us to its shores, again and again.

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There's something comforting about familiarity. It's like slipping into a warm bath, feeling your senses calm as you settle into the routine. It is like a safe haven, reminding us that some things in life remain constant, even when everything else is in chaos. It's the taste of your favourite comfort food that your mother makes, the joy from listening to an old favourite song, the feel of your favourite blanket and pillow. It's the sense of belonging that comes with knowing exactly what to expect.

Dec 1, 2024.

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I don't fantasize about having the perfect life. I just think about waking up somewhere safe. I think about having a pretty kitchen and a nice armchair. Books on shelves. Coffee always brewing. I could be happy with something simple and quiet.

~ June Bates

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It’s one thing to witness the incredible beauty of Spiti, but quite another to feel the warmth of its people. As a female solo traveller on a budget, exploring the remote villages in Spiti initially seemed daunting given the lack of public transportation and limited connectivity there. Little did I know that the people of this breathtaking place would soon overwhelm me with their hospitality. What began as a one-month’s journey to explore the stunning landscapes of Spiti ended with me returning home, feeling humbled by the kindness of people I met along the way.

They welcomed me into their cosy homes, offered delicious meals and allowed me to hitchhike in their vehicles. Most importantly, they went out of their way to make sure I arrived safely at my destinations—even if it meant taking a detour for my convenience. There I was, a stranger amidst these humble mountain folks, yet not once did anyone make me feel unwelcomed or hesitate to help me.

Today as I look back on all those experiences with a tinge of nostalgia, I find myself resonating with the wise words of Maya Angelou: “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and sleep, travel surely can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.

-an ode to the souls of Spiti-

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to touch the ocean's edge is to feel infinity within reach.

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We need randomness, mess, adventures, uncertainty, self-discovery, near-traumatic episodes, all those things that make life worth living, compared to the structured, fake, and ineffective life of an empty-suit CEO with a preset schedule and an alarm clock.

-via Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

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"The emotion is Janus-faced: we are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known."

Carson McCullers

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A random list of simple yet infinite pleasures of being in the mountains

breathing in the crisp and fresh mountain air // hiking through emerald green forests // gazing upon the cotton candy skies // camping under starlit skies // witnessing snowfall for the first time // making new friends along the way // sharing heartfelt conversations with kindred spirits met en route // receiving unexpected acts of kindness from strangers // enjoying picturesque landscapes rolling past the bus windows // strolling through bustling bazaars and charming villages // stumbling upon a field of wildflowers // dipping toes in freezing glacier river // listening to the hymns of mountain streams and waterfalls // marvelling at colourful prayer flags dancing gracefully in wind // capturing fleeting moments // dwelling in cosy home-stays with breathtaking views // gorging on hot, steamy momos // relishing a warm bowl of instant noodles // sipping endless cups of chai // inhaling the scent of pine trees // witnessing mesmerising sunrises and sunsets // collecting beautiful keepsakes // returning home with a heart full of gratitude for life

-Fathima Shareef

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When Noor Unnahar said "be the thing you were named after,"

I became a gentle breeze / a dandelion's dance / a wildflower's bloom / a nomad finding home in every place / a mountain's embrace / an ocean's roar / a sunset's palette / a soft sky's canvas / a silent spectator of the moon / a romantic gazing at the clouds and stars / a story told through frames / a horizon's promise.

-Fathima Shareef-

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There is something frozen in the most peaceful sense about mountains.

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The Price

Ask anyone who walks this Earth, and most will say they just want a peaceful life. A meal at the table enough to fill a belly. A hug from someone they love. A warm bed to sleep in. A home filled with love. A lot of laughter and someone to share a drink with. At the end it is the people who pay for the carnage. The mother who never sees her son again. The father who never comes back home. The brother and sister who will never know the joy of a shared meal again. The aunt who returns but doesn't smile anymore. The friends lost along the way. A thousand homes wrecked and a million memories shattered. All because someone else decided to send a war to knock on their door.

Via Nikita Gill

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When Jeanette Winterson wrote:

“There are times when it will go so wrong that you will barely be alive, and times when you realise that being barely alive, on your own terms, is better than living a bloated half-life on someone else's terms.”