A snowy surprise, a few hours of calm!

This is the story of me experiencing snow for the first time in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.

There's a lot to say about 2022 but I will keep that part short and crisp:

I shifted to Goa from Mumbai for a job in December 2021.

The job didn't turn out to be as great as I wished for or imagined. And I, who was already trying to heal from the stress that Covid brought in, went through burnout - which led to regular therapy.

Burnout in Goa might sound silly - as this undoubtedly beautiful place is only expected to bring magic into mundane lives! But that is a story for another day! I’ll write about living in Goa as a resident vis-a-vis being a tourist soon.

Fast-forward to the end of the year in 2023, I left the job as it was not moving in the right direction for me and went back to my hometown in Assam for a month, without any idea about what’s next!

Should I stay back in Goa?

Should I look for another job?

Should I go back to concentrating on my small business, full-time?

The questions were endless - with no plans, vague goals, topping it up with backaches, massive weight loss and deteriorating mental health.

I just felt blah, in the truest sense. But most importantly, I had no motivation for anything - except travel and food!

Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh

I don’t need any motivation to - Travel and Eat!

It was my birth month and winter holidays - so my family and I decided to go on our annual vacation (which has now turned into a ritual).

We decided on a road trip (like we often do when travelling around North-east India) from our hometown in Assam to a place called Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh, for a few days, pit stopping for a night in Tezpur.

It was December and we expected it to be cold. But there was also news of rain and roadblocks and calls from some well-wishers. Fortunately, the weather was good on the day we were on the road and reached Dirang safely after sunset.

29th December, 2022 - the day this story is about.

It was our first day in Dirang and we booked a local cab to take us around. We did not have a fixed itinerary as such, so we just hit the road without any fixed plan.

I believe that the beauty of any hill station does not lie in sightseeing spots but just in the roads.

Our driver took us on the road towards Tawang (a much loved and popular hill station in Arunachal Pradesh) but he told us that we might not be able to go too far as the roads can be slippery, because of the weather. We were cool about it and asked him to drive to wherever it would be safely accessible.

As we continued driving on the hilly roads, we could see the lovely views of snow-capped mountains! It was getting colder as we kept going upwards, and then suddenly out of nowhere, I remember seeing some cotton-y things flying in the air and settling in the leaves of the trees. As I was just noticing it for a few minutes, I remember suddenly seeing a car parked in the road with its roof covered by a blanket of that white cotton-y stuff. That’s when I realised - that’s snow - right in front of me! Almost at the same time, my brother sitting in the front seat quipped, “Look! There’s snow!”

We were all seeing and experiencing snow for the first time ever!

It was unexpected for all of us!

Our driver went up the road to a safer spot to park, and we got down near a small village!

I believe we spent about an hour there - immersed in the moment and clicking pictures!

It was only after I sat back in the car to go back, that I had a major realization!

After a long time, I was not feeling anxious.

After a long time, I was calm in the present.

After a long time, I was not enveloped by stress.

The day went by well! We drove back down towards Dirang, and around a scenic local village. We had tea and instant noodles at the beautiful Sangti Valley and visited the Dirang monastery around sunset.

But the highlight of this day for me will always be the snowy surprise from nature and the flashback to my calmer self.

It is not that all my mental health issues vanished since that day but it helped me remember what it is like to live without constant stress. What it is like to be excited but not uncomfortably overwhelmed!

By the time it was New Year’s Eve, I had a clear resolution - to have more such days in the coming year and simply learn to breathe better!

I have always read a lot about ways to heal and progress from bad mental health. But I believe that in the new year, I stopped with the reading and research and instead made a conscious choice to healthy transition & healing!

Has it been perfect, so far? Definitely, not! But I did not choose perfection. I chose to just breathe better and have more such days that can help me at it.

Writing has helped me have more such good days! And it gets even better because of readers like you! You chose to read, while the reels wait - and cheers to that! Thank you for spending your precious time reading my stories!

Do you remember the first time you saw snow? Feel free to share your experience.

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I am Namrata Gohain, a designer-turned-storyteller, writer and content producer. I document stories on responsible travel, crafts, cuisine, slow living and my creative journey.