What Does it Mean to Trek?

For most of us it means going on an adventure. Maybe to an exotic land or it could just be local. Wherever your adventure, you will meet interesting people and learn about a new culture.

Since this Pandemic has arrived I have found myself torn between two thoughts. One is grateful for my health and my time with my family, the other is really missing travel and the mountains. We have all had to have the courage to “step out of the familiar”. I have traded the mountains for my neighborhood…

In my daily walks I have noticed that more and more people have ventured out of their homes in the hope of getting a little exercise to offset the sense of isolation and despair. At first people were silent, heads down somber. However, as time has gone by people are starting to say hello with relaxed smiles, their pace has slowed and there is a sense of calm.

What seemed like a quick walk around the neighborhood, has become a trek across the very landscape we take for granted. You hear whispers “I never knew that tree was there” or “Where did that flower come from”. Or maybe you meet a neighbor you didn’t know….“I never see that person outside their home – I thought no one lived there”.

In many ways it feels like we are all experiencing a different culture within our own neighborhoods.  We as a community tend to live in a rat race. We have been forced to slow down, breath, see what is around us, find ways to embrace what is here and now. Much like you do when you travel. I find when I travel I leave the crazy behind and live in the moment. Granted that is easier when I am nestled in the Himalaya Mountains, but my day to day treks in my hood have shown me yes – there is despair and hardships everywhere you look, but there are just as many smiles and kind gestures.  As a community we will get through this. For now take a trek around your hood.

I love traveling abroad and can’t wait to return to it. But trekking in my hood J has helped me a have completely different perspective, a heathy perspective and one that I hope you will entertain J