The path is clear

Anyone who has been to Kodaikanal’s Shola forest knows what a special place it is. The mist and clouds come and go and make it into this moving kaleidoscope of mystery and enchantment. On one such un- authorized walk into the forest, I started to realize that I was completely lost. I didn’t panic initially and continue to enjoy the nature. But as evening drew closer, with no tent and no food and no blanket and the ever increasing sounds of the wild life, panic set in. I rushed around aimlessly for a while and realized it was doing me no good. I decided to find a reasonable place to crash instead. I found a little hole in a rock and praying it was no home of a wild beast, tried to settle in covering it almost to the top with sticks and rocks. I did get an hour or 2 of sleep that night surprisingly.

With daybreak, even tough I told myself a million times to relax and enjoy, and there was nothing else to be done but hope to find my way or somebody, I still rushed around, both physically and in my head, The day was completely filled with mist and sometimes couldn’t even see a metre in front. In the evening I was starting to have very dark thoughts of my imminent end. So I sat and meditated to recover my balance. It was hard to do but I calmed down a bit. And started to realize the importance of the moment. I slowly opened my eyes and the path lay in front of me