காடுகள், மலைகள், மரங்கள், ஆறுகள் - இவற்றையெல்லாம் ரசிப்பதற்கு எல்லோருக்கும் ஆவல் உண்டு. ஆனால், இரண்டு நாட்கள் சுற்றுலா முடியும் வரை மட்டுமே! அதன்பின், வாழ்க்கை என்னவோ அலுவலக கேபினுக்குள்ளும், மடிக்கணினிகளோடும், செல்ஃபோனில் பரபரப்பான உரையாடல்களாகவும் பலருக்கும் கடந்துபோகிறது. காடுகளோடும் மலைகளோடும், மரங்களோடும் இரண்டறக் கலந்து வளர்ந்த ஒருவரின் அனுபவம் நமது அனுபவங்களிலிருந்து முற்றிலும் மாறுபட்டதாகவே இருக்கும். 

That night in Vellagavi, as the mist wrapped the village and the campfire slowly faded into embers, I knew the journey wasn’t done. The forest had tested our preparation, offered us shelter, and gently eased us into a new year—but the mountains still had more to say.

Ahead of us lay another trail. Another silence. A longer walk that would begin before dawn and take us from the sacred calm of Vellagavi toward the edges of Vattakanal, and eventually, back home.

We slept peacefully that night—not knowing exactly what the next day would bring, but trusting the path as we always do.

That night in Vellagavi, as the mist wrapped the village and the campfire slowly faded into embers, I knew the journey wasn’t done. The forest had tested our preparation, offered us shelter, and gently eased us into a new year—but the mountains still had more to say.

Ahead of us lay another trail. Another silence. A longer walk that would begin before dawn and take us from the sacred calm of Vellagavi toward the edges of Vattakanal, and eventually, back home.

We slept peacefully that night—not knowing exactly what the next day would bring, but trusting the path as we always do.

I can only say this: true happiness, at least for me, is not found in careless enjoyment but in mindful presence. If we are careless, we miss the quiet wisdom that nature offers us every day. We miss how a spider weaves its fragile web overnight, teaching us patience and resilience. We miss the way a snake rests motionless for hours, reminding us that stillness too is strength.