As I write this, I sit in Aaron’s childhood bedroom decorated in nostalgia. Baby faced photos, old sports jerseys, down to the DARE trophies. As I sort through our travel photos which feels like yesterday and lifetimes ago at the same time, I realize how lucid life is when we’re moving. How travel sparks something inside and can make you believe in magic again. I remember running free through these fields, dancing into the sky-high clouds, feeling like we can do anything we wanted, and we were doing it. There’s something about the mountains that bring a sacred energy and Nepal is no different. We found ourselves leaving the bustle of Kathmandu to retreat in the charming mountain town of Pokhara and hiking to a small village called Gachok. We were greeted with sparkling eyes and kids with their hands in heart center greeting you with a loud “namaste!” Lush fields stretch out in the valleys as they connect the mountainscapes. We witness the simplicity of the people as they worked the fields until the sun went down. During our trek, we were called down by a beautiful Nepalese girl and her mother who invited us into their home and prepared us a fresh cucumber salad from their garden. What little they have was all they needed, and it was what they offered us. I will never forget how this simple, yet large gesture of a cucumber salad can immerse me in gratitude long after our journey through Nepal.
