The First Ocean

Growing up in Nepal means mountains become ordinary.

You wake up seeing them.

Travel beside them.

Live with them.

But one thing we don't have is the ocean.

For most of my life, the sea only existed in movies, photographs and wallpapers.

Then one afternoon in Bali, it became real.

I still remember walking towards the beach.

The sound reached me before the water did.

The waves.

The wind.

The endless horizon.

When my feet finally touched the sea for the first time, I didn't say much.

I just stood there.

There was something strangely calming about it.

The ocean doesn't rush.

It doesn't try to impress anyone.

It simply continues doing what it has always done.

Watching the waves for a while made me realise something.

I've spent most of my life trying to move forward.

The ocean reminded me that sometimes it's okay to simply pause.

To observe.

To breathe.

To appreciate where you are.

That afternoon wasn't filled with adventure.

There wasn't anything extraordinary happening.

But it became one of my favourite memories from Bali.

Not because I finally saw the ocean.

Because for a few quiet minutes, I forgot about deadlines, work, responsibilities and plans.

I was simply someone standing beside the sea for the very first time.

Sometimes that's enough.