Life, as we see it

 We reached Khujai campsite on our second day of hike. I placed my heavy knapsack inside the tent, splashed my face with the freezing cold water, the campsite crew must have fetched from the nearby stream, and filled my cup with hot lemon tea. Hot lemon tea 10000 ft up on the Himalayas ! who would have thought!! There was a big rock behind my tent from where one can see the tip of Mt Swargarohini, and it is beautiful beyond imagination. I put my earphone on, and let myself emerge in the world of “This is where I wanna be, where it’s so sweet and heavenly”… ‘Boop’ ! Jane poked my dimple, ‘Hey’, she said. ‘Hey’, I smiled back. “I saw you enjoying the view”. We both laughed. Jane is the eldest in the group; in her mid sixties. Mid sixties!! When she told me on the first day as we started our hike, I was like what the fuck !! (I mean of course I didn’t say it out loud, she is of my mother’s age, c’mon !), but sixty five and climbing the Himalayas ! Her strength, grit and especially...