On our fifth day in Patagonia, we stopped for lunch at an almost unbelievably quaint hotel with stunning mountain views. After the meal, we relaxed on an adjacent grassy lawn, listening to the wind, the waves lapping on the shores of a black sand beach, and distant birdsong. As we meditated, eyes closed, I began to hear a gentle tone that perfectly complimented the relaxing mood. I wondered, Am I hearing wind chimes? Why hadn’t I noticed them before? After about ten minutes of calm breathing, we began to stir. And there, sitting peacefully before us with a beatific smile, was a local woman gently playing a Tibetan-style singing bowl. Where had she come from? How had she known to enter our Patagonian reverie? I never did find out, but I’ll never forget that moment, completely mindful of the magic of Patagonia and how lucky we were to be immersed in it.

Eric J. Simon | New England College, Henniker, NH
Patagonia, 2020