Mountains + α is time to take off the armor
"Are you doing it right?" won't leave my head.
For the few minutes it takes to boil water on the mountain, that voice disappears.
The small sound of the flame roaring.
The steam that eventually rises.
I love the time spent just watching that.
At work, I'm always tense somewhere.
Looking for omissions, staying ahead, keeping things in order.
Am I doing it right? Am I behind?
Am I letting anyone down?
"Are you doing it right?"—I'm always grading myself.
Even though the environment has changed, my body still remembers.
A small mistake makes my chest tighten.
A single tone of voice makes me react.
Even when I come to the mountains, it's the same at first.
✔ How is my pace?
✔ Is the route correct?
✔ Am I walking efficiently?
Am I doing it right?
—I'm wearing the armor again.
But.
For the few minutes until the water boils, for some reason, that tension softens.
✔ Just sitting there.
✔ Not being useful.
✔ Not producing anything.
Even so, no one is troubled.
No one is grading me.
The steam doesn't try to keep its shape.
It breaks, unravels, and disappears.
Maybe it's okay to be like this.
The mountain doesn't look at speed, titles, or what happened yesterday. It just exists.
When I'm in it, the armor loosens.
It doesn't have to be perfect—my body remembers that before my head does.
I don't go to the mountains to accomplish something. It's not to conquer the scenery either.
I go to create time for myself to take off the armor.
The steam disappears.
No shape remains.
But my shoulders feel a little lighter.
Even after coming down from the mountain and returning to daily life,
because I know that time that wasn't graded.
Just knowing that makes my breathing a little deeper.
And then, I put the armor back on.
But now I know.
That there is a place where I can take it off.
A life with mountain hiking is
like having a mountain hut for your life.
It's not to become stronger.
It's not to run away, either.
When you're feeling weak,
it's a place to take off your pack, boil some water,
and get back on your feet again.
Conclusion | A life with mountain hiking is like a mountain hut for your life.
Where is your 'place to take off the armor'?
Thank you for reading until the end.
Every time I get a like, a follow, or a comment,
I think, 'Oh, it reached someone.'
You don't have to feel pressured to react.
If even just one line resonated with you, that's enough.
I'll bring back more stories I've picked up on the mountain.
If you'd like, please take a look at my past work too! ⤵︎
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
読んでくださる方の何かの「気づき」や「楽しみ」になる、記事を書くための活動費として使わせていただきます！