The scent of night Jasmine mixes with the sounds of Nepalese children playing in the street as the Pokhara riverside loses any obvious depth (in my opinion) to spiritual consumerism and New Age hippie culture.

Corner restaurants serving South Indian Dosa feel like a split between two worlds, even though Hinduism and Buddhism seem

to merge here in Nepal. Middle-aged woman traveling alone like myself order Thali plates and people-watch or write in their journals, while Indian families sit in the back of the restaurant and share another meal...

I begin to realize just how much I like to be on the move. Constantly changing scenery lights my Spirit and in this motion I can easily watch as different Keri’s emerge from within this flesh and meat boundary called “me”...

The Keri that feels that the world is her oyster dreams of being free and traveling all all over this planet with her partner as she uses the skills developed through her yoga practice to steadily trek up endless and hours of stone steps to Ghorepani.

She couldn’t care less about things like money or taxes or social media, and yearns to be in this Divine Flow called Life without responsibilities.

Somber Keri sometimes slips in. She focuses on the things she doesn’t have, the things she hasn’t yet done. She is the product of a society that fears lack, that subtly and cunningly tells her that she is never enough, that she must get/be/have more...

And before I’m too lost in thought, I pull myself back to the present moment. I remember GRATITUDE, and marvel that I GET TO BE HERE, walking down a dirt road in the middle of Nepal to trek one of the most majestic and mesmerizing mountain ranges in the world.

When I get back to presence and joy, I share more momentary interactions with others and remember that people are people. The connection of one human heart to another knows no geography, race or ethnicity. It’s beyond language barriers and economic status. It cuts through any clothing or defensive mask that has developed from years of heartache, trauma or loss.

I feel so grateful for simple things — a hot shower and ginger tea after hiking 6 hours on the first day of this four day hike...