The Story of How I Left Behind A Piece of My Heart in the Mountains
“We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.” — T.S. Eliot
And when I stood there, my heart knew it before my eyes could even see, that this is where I belonged. I always have.
It was such a beautiful feeling. To know, beyond a doubt that something important was happening, even when I couldn’t quite explain it. I could hear them calling my name. That inscrutable pull. The slight tug with arms draped across my shoulders. I knew the mountains were welcoming me.
So I gave in. To their breathtaking beauty and spirit, and to the way they made me feel. So numb and yet so alive.
I found little bits of me in every nook and cranny of these mountains. I found my resilience somewhere in the descent to the bottom of Nohkalikai Falls, my laughter when I spotted the pools of water that had formed at the foot of the waterfalls when trekking to the Double Decker Living Roots Bridge, the kiss of the warm sun mending back my broken heart when I got out of the Mawsmai Caves and peered into the valley before me. And yet, I knew I was leaving behind a piece of me in each of these places.
In all these years of traveling, I had never once experienced the profound moment where I am tempted to make the future-altering decision of packing my bags and never coming back. The feeling has been true, but far too subtle. Just a hint of it each time. The slightest ache in my heart. And over a period of time, it has become a part of who I am.
And when I do come back home, it is with a heart that is deepened by all the experiences I have had, and a soul that has been touched by the people I have met on the road.
Travel has taught me this one important lesson, among many others. That no matter how long it has been since I last traveled, soon enough I would be packing my bags again. With only the faintest idea of my next adventure. Going someplace my heart leads me to. To find myself. Or to be lost again.
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