With my eyes half-closed I stand in the office kitchen next to the coffee machine. Sleepy, we complain quietly with a colleague about Monday, too many emails and the broken milk frother. We talk about last weekend.
– Why do you go to the mountains so often? Explain it to me because for me it’s not fun at all. – she asks me and my eyes open wider before I even smell the scent of coffee.
I was about to give her a very simple answer – because it’s insanely beautiful there. But I stopped and thought for a moment.
I felt my cheeks get warm, I think I blushed. Because I understood the answer lies much, much deeper. And it’s so much more personal.
On a daily basis everything tries to get my attention. Have you ever thought how many various notifications you get every day? Countless! My phone keeps vibrating and sending me Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Whatsapp notifications simultaneously.
On a daily basis I answer messages, listen to a French podcast and try to pet my cat – simultaneously.
Every day after work we talk with my fiancé about all the routine stuff, “how are you, how was your day, did you have a lot of work, did you buy bread in Lidl?”. In the meantime my thoughts already focus on everything I still want to do today.
On a daily basis I don’t want to bore myself to death and achieve nothing. I want to do something all the time. Doing one thing I feel guilty that I don’t do five others at the same time. I edit pictures – but I still want to write a post. I write a post – but I need to correct old ones so they have more SEO value. I correct old posts – but I still need to clean the flat. I clean the flat – but I still want to go running. I try to find my way how to work more efficiently.
I don’t have time to spend with myself and my thoughts only. The phone keeps vibrating.
On most of the days we spend evenings together with Adam but again, everything tries to get our attention. It’s hard to focus on each other. We can watch a series, a movie, play PlayStation, a board game, read books… We could talk too.
But on a daily basis we don’t talk as much as we should. What is a talk compared to all fascinating movies, interesting games, engaging books? Boring!
Huge, terrible, unacceptable mistake. Mountains and nature helped me understand it.
In the mountains finally nothing tries to get my attention. There’s no mobile signal, no Internet connection.
In the mountains I live here, now, in this very moment, free from a thousand thoughts about what I need to do. I don’t need anything except for admiring the nature. Enjoying the silence. Reaching the top.
In the mountains I can spend time with myself. I can think about nothing, listen to the fast beating of my heart and to sounds of the forest. Or I can get lost in my thoughts about where I am and where I want to be. I can analyze my actions, my ideas, my dreams, my plans. I think about people I haven’t called or written to for a long time. There I think about my deceased grandma the most often.
In the mountains I can fully spend time with my fiancé. There we share beautiful moments. There I feel that we spend time fully together. There we have more meaningful talks than ever at home.
In the mountains I breathe freely and I become happier.
– So, why? – my colleague impatiently brings me back to reality pressing “cappuccino” button on the coffee machine. Coffee grinder deafens all my thoughts.
– Because it’s insanely beautiful there. – I reply quietly – And I can’t explain this now… but they help me remember what really matters.
If I inspired you to go out to the nature make sure to check this ultimate nature bucket list written by Kate from Travel For Difference. I SO want to do it all!
Check also how to prepare for hiking and where (in Poland) to go for your first time. Check also some amazing mountain views from Tatra Mountains, Bieszczady and Beskidy. Oh and from Italy and the USA too! 🙂 Enjoy!
[…] Then I have to escape to the mountains which help me get my priorities right. […]
[…] can find 30 minutes a day for the guitar, sport or English. If someone tells you it is a matter of priorities and time management – laugh at him and say that he doesn’t understand. He has different job, […]
[…] well you need to know your priorities. When I need to sort them out in my head I go hiking. Check how mountains help me get my priorities right (and can help you too). You also might find useful the life lesson I learnt from cleaning bird poop from the terrace […]
[…] an unpleasant itching in my throat and pajamas were sticking to my sweaty skin the next night – my mood improved significantly. Pancake day wouldn’t have such a magical power […]
[…] Soon you will start wondering what subjects at school you enjoy, what class profile to choose in high school. I won’t tell you what to do. But 10 years later you will feel the best while travelling, spending your time in international company, meeting new cultures, helping others and spending time in the mountains. […]
[…] We started the hike and I must say the weather helped us to keep a very impressive pace… and I started wondering why do I do this to myself… […]
[…] If you plan your hike for the first time in a long time, check how to prepare for a hike. Are you still wondering why people go there anyway? Read my post about how mountains help me get my priorities right – and can help you too. […]
[…] It’s a perfect place to be with yourself and your thoughts only. Check why I love going to the mountains and such places full of amazing nature. The answer lies much deeper than “because it’s beautiful”! Read the article here. […]
Thank you for sharing such well-written content on your website with us, kudos.