A few days ago, I read a story by Dr. Preeti Singh titled, ‘How Happiness in Life is Through Non-measurable Activities’, in which she subtly lays out the importance of engaging in activities that do not bring us any monetary remuneration. She identifies activities such as meditation, laughing, spending time with nature, which will light up your soul against the stress that monetary activities cause you. She also highlights that it is important to maintain a balance between both kinds of activities.
This story from Dr. Preeti Singh had a great impact on me. Instantly, my mood was filled with positivity. I felt very refreshed and relaxed, only from reading about it! Her story inspired me to take a walk amidst nature and I just found the perfect day for it.
I live in Ireland. One thing you keep checking when you move to a cold country in early January is the weather app. The process of settling in is even more challenging if you come from a tropical country that is warm and hot throughout most of the year.
Ireland is an island country and so thankfully, the temperatures rarely go below zero degrees Celsius. Even on the coldest days, the temperature is still zero or minus one at the worst but the real devil strikes when you see how much the temperature feels like and it would be -4 or -5 degrees coupled with strong and brutally cold winds.
But a few days back, I got lucky.
The sun was out! 🌞 Back home in India, I’d be labeled ‘crazy’ if I celebrated the sun but not here. Amidst the rainy and cloudy atmosphere that Ireland has for pretty much the entire year, sighting a sun, that too in early January, during peak winter months, is rare.
The sun was out in a long time, almost after a week. I checked the weather app yet again and yeah, the sun was going to stay, for the whole day. My heart was secretly smiling, making me happy already. I couldn’t wait to hop out and spend time, hoping only that there are no winds.
After wrapping myself in three layers, I headed out. It was 6 degrees outside and so sufficiently warm to spend time in the open.
“Hello, Sun! Good to see you!” I exclaimed in delight.
It was beautiful. I could feel the sun's rays falling over my face. They were gentle but they were warm and it was just the right feeling, cozy and soothing. The bright rays of the sun lit up the entire town and converted it into a mesmerizing paradise of a human establishment. I was in awe. There was nature and beauty all around.
I walked into a nearby park, only to be greeted by a beautiful pond beside it. The calm water seemed to be occasionally visited by chirping birds and butterflies. I could not go closer but even from where I took this picture, it looked serene and spectacular.
After standing there for a few minutes and enjoying the view, I walked inside the park. The park felt very lively. Birds flew across the park to the pond and back and the sun seemed to have made the biodiversity active, as evident from the squirrels rushing across the walker’s path and the spiders back in action webbing their homes.
What a great day to be out and roaming!
There were a few others in the park who were walking on the jogger’s path just as me. In the play area, I could see some adorable babies and children accompanied by their nannies or mommies. As I walked across the path, I approached the dismantled castle.
Let us just say that the caste was attacked and attempted to be destroyed on account of political rivalry, one of the many that Ireland has witnessed in the past.
Broken but beautiful.
With the clear blue sky above, lush green grass below, and tall coniferous trees on its side, the castle seemed to be guarded by the nature. It looked beautiful, historic, and antique, charming the park visitors on their way in or out of the park.
I stood there, watching the castle for a few minutes.
I could have stood there longer, strolling across the park, yet again, soaking in the warmth of the sun and simply spending time with nature. But even as the sun was bright and shiny, it was time for me to head back home. It was still cold and I didn’t want to risk getting sick.
As I walked home, I felt so happy, refreshed, and energized to carry on with the tasks of my day. On my way, I recollected the story by Dr. Preeti Singh and said to myself, “All that she had written is so true. Nature works like magic.” Not only was I inspired to write this story but was also motivated to start my own newsletter, the one where I share all about my experiences as a newly relocated immigrant in Ireland.
This is my very first story on Substack, published as Ireland From The Eyes of an Immigrant newsletter. I invite you to join my journey in Ireland, as I explore this beautiful country. Subscribe to my Substack newsletter here.
I have recently joined Ko-Fi. You can support me in my writing endeavor by buying me a coffee — https://ko-fi.com/drashti10190
Hi Drashti. Good morning. This the second of your articles that I read today. Your photos as well as your descriptions are very nice. Do keep writing.
Good luck Drashti. Very nice article. Keep it up.