"We're coming to Nepal!"
Patrick told me a few days back, enthusiastic about the prospect of visiting the beautiful country again. He has an aura of tranquility around him but also that unique childlike sense of curiosity.
He went trekking in the Alpes near Strasbourg, France as a training for navigating Nepal's rough mountainous terrain. While trudging through thick snow on a steep slope, he chanced upon a fellow trekker, a little older than me, he said; which would put him in the 20-30 range. Nico, Patrick said was a delightful person, he seemed to be a little tired but was in good spirits.
Nico has been travelling all over Europe since he was 4 and has a very unique perspective on life.
It's actually quite simple, Patrick chuckled as he spoke, "Life is not to be lived a 100%. It's something which is very hard to accept maybe, but to really live and have a full life, you should strive for a 300%."
What he meant by this was that just living life with a mindset that is curious but not courageous enough to explore is living. But to really feel alive every second, you need to go and explore, be brave enough to face the snow flurry when it winds down the mountain slope.
This trek proved to be yet another reaffirmation for Patrick who had gone there for a rigorous physical exercise and ended up with a spiritual connection.
Nico told him, "On the paths that wind around the mountains, I've realized that no matter what I do and what dangers befall me, something protects me from it. Caught in this blizzard, finding you was that security."
And that night, the two exchanged places, Nico sleeping under the same roof that had kept Patrick safe during bad weather in minus zero degrees.
As they parted ways with a warmer heart in the freezing cold, Patrick wondered how it was that they met in the snow flurry when you couldn't even see 3 feet in front of you.
And Nico, this guy who lives a 300%, just a few years elder to me, with the wisdom of a 100 years says,
"You think chances like this are mere accidents?"
YOU ARE READING
The essence of life, by Patrick and Michelle
SpiritualI'm just a vessel for translation. Patrick and Michelle are a french couple traveling the entire world and learning from people they meet. They also happen to be my friends and mentors. With a heart full of love and open minds, they tell me all abou...
