Once you step onto the wooden platform, you can smell the pungent fumes that rise from the evergreen trees. The fog hazes around the mountain to form a misty crown. All around you see Mother Nature’s offspring. As you walk steeper up the mountain, you spot a thin blanket of unripe blueberry vines that cover the mountainside. The top of the mountain still waits. As you stride along the rock-covered trail, you can see the tip of the city reflections shine of the waterfront. Finally, toward the top of the mountain, you look down and see nothing, but you feel like you’ve accomplished so much. Once you climb toward the top all your insecurities and imperfections diminish. The whole world seems to become still, and you feel like royalty. Hilltop Mountain: It’s not just a mountain; it’s a sense of mind.      Nkoyo Ukoibemabia