Little House by the river

It is Spring time in the wilderness of the Himalayas.  Here silence is free of cost. Here peace comes naturally without the need for meditation. Here the air is fresh and gardens are filled of multicolored and perfumed wild flowers.  I live in a little house by the river. The constant gushing sound of the river is the only music that I hear. The rumbling noise of rocks and logs being dragged by the water is the rhythm of my music. A deer snorts in a distance. Intermittently, a pack of jackals howl behind the hills alerting the wild goats while they graze on the lush green meadow. They raise their ears and begin to bleat signaling danger. In front of my little house made of wood, I see a swarm of bees sucking nectar from the yellow marsh marigolds.

 It is the time of the day for my shepherd friend to visit me. He usually plays melodious flute from a distance to signal his arrival. His flute makes heartwarming music in the woods. The melody slowly echoes back deep through the forest. When I hear the flute, I start to prepare a humble tea of wild herbs that I collect and dry in Winter. When he arrives at my house, I am ready with the tea. We call it the tea of peace and liberation. We call it the tea of brotherhood. We chat about his herd of sheep. We talk about the beauty of our place. I tell him about the world outside this beautiful mountain. He smiles in wonder. He leaves lest his herd is attacked by hungry wolves and tigers. I request him to continue visiting me for a cup of humble tea. After he leaves, I set out to collect mushrooms in the woods.

In the evening, before the sun sets behind the lush green mountains, I reach my home with a basket full of mushrooms and berries from the woods. I start to make a fire in the oven ‘cos it can be cold at night. I can see the sun rays entering my room trough the wooden walls. I hastily come out to watch the most exotic and beautiful moment of the day. When the sun sets behind the lush green mountains, birds also return to their nests. A cool wind sweeps through the trees. My mind is at rest. My heart is filled with joy. My soul is soaked in the beauty of nature. After the sun set, I cook mushrooms with cheese for my dinner. My shepherd friend assures that I don’t run out of fresh cheese.

 I have a simple meal of mushroom and cheese followed by wild berries. Before I retire for the day, I pull out Robin Sharma’s ‘The monk who sold his Ferrari’ from my book shelf. As I flip through the pages I come cross the lines “the moment I stopped spending much time chasing the big pleasure of life. I began to enjoy the little ones, like watching the stars dancing in the moonlit sky or soaking in the sun beams of a glorious summer morning”.  And I realize I am doing exactly the same. It’s almost time to sleep now. When I wake up tomorrow morning, birds perching on my doorstep will greet me with songs of melodies pure and true. The gentle sun rays will kiss my face. And the cool morning air will embrace me with an open heart!!!