A Letter to Nijmegen

Original Medium post: A Letter to Nijmegen.

Dear Nijmegen,

This morning, I read an article about being an observer. It spoke about watching your thoughts as if you were sitting by a roadside and seeing vehicles pass by. Each vehicle was a thought. The idea was simple: just let them go by, without judgment, without attachment. It made sense. These things usually do.

Later in the evening, I found myself sitting on a bench at the Valkhof park, facing the river Waal. In front of me was the bridge, cars passing by, ships drifting along the river, and people walking past. It reminded me of that article from the morning. Was it planned? Not at all. In fact, it is a bench I rarely sit on. It is usually a bit crowded, but this evening it was empty. Strange, but welcome. I sat there and after about fifteen minutes, it suddenly struck me: this was the exact scene from the article I read this morning. What a coincidence, right?

Once that realisation settled in, I noticed even more. The trees seemed to be slowly preparing for spring. The birds chirped somewhere above. And the sunlight, warm but gentle, made early spring feel just right.

Sometimes I wonder: is it you that inspires me to write, or is it nature? Perhaps it is both. I have been inspired by you for weeks now: when it snowed, when tiny cherry blossoms quietly announced spring, when tulips appeared, or when I caught one of the most beautiful sunrises I have seen in a long while, right outside my home.

These days, it feels like you have been inviting me outside more often. I find myself exploring paths I have never noticed before. And something about you forces me to slow down, quite literally. I have realised I walk a bit too fast. But you remind me there is no rush. It almost feels like a crime to leave a beautiful sunset by the Waal. I know another will come tomorrow, yet in that fleeting moment, my heart aches a little when I have to walk away. Perhaps that is the lesson, too: enjoy the moment, and then let it go.

The other day while walking to Albert Heijn, I stopped to photograph some flowers. Two Dutch women walked past and smiled. “Mooi,” one of them said. It is one of the first Dutch words I learned when I arrived in 2023.

It means beautiful. And that is exactly what you are, Nijmegen.

All my love,

Nityaa