Confucius once said “The wise loves mountains, while the benevolent loves rivers. ”, to explain that people have their own likings. I prefer mountains to waters. If I were given a choice, I would rather live at the foot of a mountain, rather than in the center of a major city. It would be great to wake up in the morning and climb the mountains, to start the day off.
A few years ago, while I was living in Islamabad, Pakistan, I had the opportunity to climb mountains every day. It’s a mere 5 minutes' drive from where I lived to the foot of the Margalla Hills. The city of Islamabad was quite new. It was built at the foot of the Margalla Hills, which serve to defend the capital city from possible invasions from the north.
Most of the time, I climbed the Margalla Hills alone, because very few people there shared my hobby. In some occasions, I climbed them with friends or colleagues. I did not mind climbing the hills alone, but rather enjoyed the loneliness, especially when I climbed them at sunset. It was amazing to look down to the city of lights, against the background of darkness. I always preferred to climb up and down the hills in the darkness.
Before I left the city and country, I made special visits to all the places I enjoyed going to, including the Margalla Hills. While climbing down in the darkness, I could not help feeling a little melancholy, because I knew it would be farewell. It’s quite possible that I would not come back again, so that would be my last time climbing the Margalla Hills. That is time. That is life. There is nothing I can do about it.
