One week of discussions, workshops and sessions. I was all set to explore the city of Salzburg and the little town of Hallstatt for the weekend. Finishing my left over tasks and my personal journal, I retired to bed at 11:45 pm. I woke up to check if my watch worked fine every two hours and it was 3:45 am. Reached the main station on time and boarded the train to Salzburg at 5 am. The anxiety of “what if I overslept” didn’t let me sleep and I smiled at myself! Transferring at Munich, I reached Salzburg and then transferred to the bus towards Hallstatt.
The road twisted and turned to show the 360 degree beauty of the little villages. Green trees and grass swayed in the wind and the mountain grew higher and higher as we reached closer. Turquoise river jumped around like energetic toddlers. They didn’t mind the pricking stones beneath them. “Life cannot be easier – no pain no gain; come what may, just run around merrily with a smile” they seemed to dismiss the difficulties and move further in their way!
The bright sun seemed to show his mighty power. His golden arms were invading the whole mountain. He was shining and moving proudly. As I got down from the bus, the pricking wind forced me to hide into my jacket. It seemed to be bright and sunny but he deceived me. He lost to the mighty wind who was invisible. Invisible power of the mind can overtake the wicked anxiety! I smiled and moved on.
The mountains safeguarded the river. He surrounded her from all sides; She felt safe within him. They added beauty to the scene. She was an abode to a number of birds. While most of them were running around in pairs, a single swan moved around slowly. “Is she the one longing for love? Is she the left out person at work? Is she the mother who lost her child in the womb? Is she the single mom? Was she singing the melancholy?” my mind was puzzled. All of a sudden, she moved swiftly causing ripples raising strongly. She hissed to show how mighty she was. Her faster move was just an example that little did she care of what people thought but enjoyed her solitude and continued energetically. Mightiness of the mind over rules the thoughts of the society!
I took the cable car to reach the top of the mountain to see the other side of the village. A real treat to the eyes – a hidden treasure of beauty! The picturesque view added to the serenity of the mind. The houses and boats seemed too tiny from here.
I closed my eyes to feel the kiss of the cold wind. She wetted my cheeks and whispered in my ears “Problems in life becomes tiny in reality when you face them from a distance. There are hidden blessings in life for which you must be thankful. Close your eyes and feel the lovely things life brings you. Life is beautiful!” I took a deep breath and captured the beautiful moments in my mind. Mother Nature wrote her lessons to my heart!
As I got down, the wind seemed to arise in fury. “Was her hormones bad? Maybe PMS? Maybe postpartum depression as she just delivered her little droplets!” She didn’t seem to settle. She broke every umbrella around; she scared the little boats; she hit the wooden roofs; she seemed to cause damage around; she was fighting with the waves of the lake. They battled against each other and the waves raised too. The hissing sound of her and the gushing sound of the waves seemed to fight. None of them wanted to give up. The high current of the waves in the lake caused additional disturbance to the boats. People off boarded and left them.
The wind hit the mountain too. He was calmly holding her and standing still. She showed her outbreak towards him but he neither resisted nor resented. He calmly faced her and just smiled. Slowly she was calming herself down.
When our minds are disturbed and throw negative thoughts, our inner anxiety battles and makes things worse. We constantly have an inner conflict and also create a disturbance around us. Just like the wind and the lake fighting. We are neither in peace nor let the others around us in peace. Rather, when we try to stand still and calmly listen to our battles strongly and make a conscious effort to get away with it, our anxiety reduces. The mountain taught me how to deal with stress, anxiety and emotions! I thanked them and moved on.
As I calmly retired to bed, I remembered that there could be no better life coach than Mother Nature and was looking forward to the next day.
Salzburg – in contrast to Hallstatt was quite a bigger city with some crowd. The skies seemed to cry out their hearts the whole day. I moved around with my umbrella to safeguard my head but forgot my bag. My eyes enjoyed the treat while by feet trembled in cold. My bag was getting wet to make me understand we cannot have everything in life at convenience. The open umbrellas lying on the ground reminded me the sacrifices we need to do while we want to move up above the head! Heights cannot be reached without getting drenched in the rain or facing the sun!
The architecture of the city mesmerised me. The cathedrals history that it was completely destroyed after a fire and a lightning, rebuilt and again destroyed during world war 2 – the way he stands now teaches that we need to never ever give up but raise after every fall. The gardens and the battling flowers against the wind and rains also imparts the same lessons. The whole city had something to tell me when I looked at it closely!
I took the boat to see the view of the city from either sides. The glass only showed droplets and masked the real beauty outside. “Appearances are always descriptive” Sir Winston Churchills words popped up in my mind. How many times do we become judgemental and do not give another chance for the person in front of us. Our impression on them masks the truth about them and little do we realise that we see them over the glass of droplets. It’s not them who lose their real beauty but we who fail to see. “Never be judgemental in life” the smiling beauty at the banks of the river taught me leadership!
With Mother Nature by my side, I don’t need another book! I boarded the train reflecting the lovely lessons I learnt!