It’s 11:08 a.m., and I just walked to my favorite juice shop after having a slow morning, getting ready in my temporary apartment. I meditated for twenty-two minutes this morning. It felt incredible.
Every time I meditate, I’m glad I did, but before the last two days, it has been a while since I meditated in the morning.
The walk from where I’m staying to my favorite juice shop is less than three minutes, but it’s incredibly chaotic. Buses and scooters are constantly pulling in and out of this massive road, on which tons of people are walking.
This isn’t like where I grew up. Here in Nepal, it feels chaotic at first, but almost immediately, I begin to feel the invisible rhythms that keep everything organized.
I don’t see clear, designated sidewalks on the busy street I walked on today, but I see so much life, and happy, smiling faces.
I love rules and regulations to keep things flowing smoothly (I have a lot of German blood in my ancestry), but I can’t help but feel freer and more alive in places that are less strict.
I paused my writing for a bit because I didn’t have anything else to say, and a dog started roaming around this tiny juice shop I’m in with their tail wagging while they smell everything.
The juices I ordered here arrived. One is an orange juice with ginger, and the other is a mango smoothie with buffalo milk. Both are relatively healthy, and having access to such high-quality and healthy juice is what I think I’ll miss most after leaving Nepal.
I can’t help looking at this dog because they have so much energy. It’s a big, golden retriever that looks like a teenager, but with the energy of a puppy.
To my left, I can see someone in a couple taking a quick selfie. There is so much life all around me, and this is the thing that can so easily get lost.
It’s the intangible that makes a country feel very special to me, and Nepal has it. This is a country that feels alive, even though I can’t put my finger on why.
I’m almost done with the book, “On The Road” by Jack Kerouac, and it’s definitely influencing my writing here. That book is breaking down all the illusions I had of what it means to live a good life.
A life well-lived is one where you feel alive. We all know what it feels like to be around someone who feels fully alive, and someone who is operating on autopilot, half-asleep on the wheel that is their life.
That is all I have to share today. I’m going to get my favorite coffee latte now. I feel good. Life is good. And I feel alive.
Love,
Eric