SELF LOVE ISN'T SELFISH. by: NAVYA BAGARHATTA

"It was a quite long trip" thought Ray who was returning from a one-month trip. At her early age she was a cheerful girl but as she grew up, she started becoming introvert. From past several months she was feeling a little depressed, so she thought of giving herself some time, just to seek some peace and happiness. So, she decided to visit Uttrakhand, in her opinion it was the best place to visit as she was venturesome and never used to step back when it comes to daredevil things and also she can expose herself to good vibes and positive thoughts. She packed her stuff and took the book she just started reading and began her journey from her hometown i.e., Udaipur. After one or two days [as she preferred to go by train instead of flight] she reached at her destination. Tired of the long journey she decided to go to the hotel first in order to take some rest. When she reached there, she took a nice long bath and then she went to visit a nearby monastery. The time she entered there she experienced a sense of calmness. Her mind was quiet, and all her thoughts just vanished. It won’t be wrong to say that she was able to hear the silence. The purpose of her visit was fulfilled. Now she had no worries. She was so much mesmerized by that place that she sat there for a long time. It made her realize that she should open up to people and meet new people. The next day she went out to explore the new place, so she wandered on the local streets and bought some things for her family , friends and herself. While she was siting in the food court and was having dinner, she came across a bunch of people of same age as her who came and sat near her. ‘they must be here for camping’, she thought. One girl from the group was observing her as she had seen her in the morning on the street and then now. this made her believe that she is all on her own. In order to be sure, she went up to her and asked, ’Hi, I am Phoebe. And you are?’. ‘Hi I am Ray’. I have been noticing you for a while. Are you on a vacation?’, asked Phoebe with suspicion. ‘Yes’, Ray answered. ‘Are you all alone?’, she asked. ‘Yes’, Ray replied sadly. ‘Then why don’t you join us?’, phoebe said excitedly. In some part of her heart she knew it was a great idea and this time she didn’t want to miss the opportunity due to her shyness. She agreed to her and got to know that next day in the early hours they were heading towards Rishikesh. She joined them in the morning, and they all reached there by noon. As Rishikesh was known for adventurous sports they first left for paragliding. It was indeed a quite thrilling experience for her. After that they all chilled out for some time in the nearby cafe and returned to their hotel. Next day they all decided to go for river rafting. And as they reached their Ray had a sense of nervousness as sweat broke from all over her body, but she managed it somehow and took the risk and I must say that she enjoyed it to the fullest. The splashing water and the movement of the boat is embedded in her memories and will be there till her last breath. They all then decided to go camping and Ray also joined in their plan. Next day they started climbing a mountain. Once they all reached their they started setting up their tents. That night they all sat around the bonfire and did a lot of fun like they played games, sang songs and many more things. That night was the most beautiful night for her as she realised that she had many qualities in her which were hidden, and she never knew about it. Her decision of joining these people was successful. She had never enjoyed this much in her life up till now. They all were about to go to sleep when they heard a loud scream. They all came out of their tents and tried to find out from where it was coming. One boy from their group came running and told them that his friend was standing and suddenly slipped. Hearing this they followed him and due to the darkness they were not able to see clearly, but somehow they managed and got to know that he got a hold on a rock but now he is losing the grip, one of the member has brought a rope so they dropped the rope down and asked him to hold it but adding to their discomfort strong wind started blowing and rainfall started. ‘We can’t trust this weather’, thought Ray. Now it became more difficult to pull him. They all tried to pull him, but it was too dangerous because if one slipped then it risks all other people’s life as well. However, they all tried and tried and somehow were able to pull him up and were very happy that they made it. But he was not alright as he has got many injuries and due to this, he became unconscious. All of them then took him in the tent and tried to wake him up. After a while they brought him back in conscious. He was not in a condition to even walk properly. So, they decided to stay there for a while till he gets better. Hoping for his early recovery they all didn’t slept that whole night.  The next morning, they prepared food and interacted with other people who were also their camping. They all were having breakfast when they heard that he was recovering. they all were so happy. Ray wondered that in such a short period of time they all were so much connected, it was just like a family. That day they all kept themselves busy by doing something or the other. This is how the day passed and the next day he was able to walk and so all of them decided to go down as it was dangerous to stay up there. So, they began to wind up things and started to get down. It took an hour more to get down then to go up as they all were very careful not to hurt themselves. Finally, they got down and suddenly Ray realized that it was about a month and it was the time that she had to say goodbye to her new friends and this beautiful place. It was quite heart breaking as she got so much attached with this place. But the show must go on and so she left for the station and was taking back a bag full of memories, memories which are everlasting. She was glad that she opened up and accepted their proposal and went with them otherwise she won’t be able to enjoy that much. Opening up was much easier than she thought.  She was now confident and was no more an introvert person. She was no more afraid to live the life the way she wanted. She continued to keep the adventurous part of her alive.