Hills and Valleys

It is the first week of June and the ruggedness of a long sultry summer has taken over me. The monotony of life has left me jaded and my Achilles tendon no more responds to my inner calls to stretch ahead.
Then I see this serial called ‘Hills and Valleys’ and my sinuses record the cool peaceful breeze over my body distressing my nerves. I recall all those sojourns over the years and wonder why it is so rejuvenating to visit these hill stations. The catch lies in the words ‘Hills and Valleys’. You travel from your regular buzz of the four /six lane speedy highways and take a detour and climb up hills after hills watching the valleys deepen and you start realising you are into a different world altogether. Your mind sets in calm and serene green foliage than stretches all along the horizons.
You drive down across and stand on a plateau and watch the sun drenched valley below and see a small village and the crest of a temple and smoke billowing out of a thatched roof hut beyond somewhere a stream is growing into a river and around the green forest grows taller and taller into a gigantic mountain. One mountain ranges gives way to number of them beyond and finally they grow smaller and smaller into oblivion.
As you peep into the valleys your heart is taken down to the lowest of recesses and it suffers to the pain of unknown and on the other mountains overwhelm you beyond the realms of life. The mist as it passes through the valley is a riot of thoughts. The late sunrises and the early sunsets and the play of dark shadows all over the valley is a sight to behold.
The summer will pass now and the monsoons will set in and I will definitely plan to visit the hills when they would be different play of dense dark clouds and flowing mist and relentless rain and wrapped in rain coats your body shivering it would clasp a cup of tea and enjoy the deep mystery of life.