Seeing the Mountains Differently- Perception and Perspective

Life really is about perception and perspective, isn’t it?

We are on vacation in New Zealand for six weeks, and I’ve been surprised by how differently I’m experiencing the mountains, streams, and rivers this time around. I’ve been here before, but this visit feels entirely new.

This is my first time traveling to mountain regions since Hurricane Helene devastated my hometown of Black Mountain, North Carolina (just outside Asheville) in September 2024. The storm brought historic rain, flooding, and mudslides, and like many people, I was deeply affected. I developed PTSD afterward, which was not entirely surprising. I was more frightened than I had ever been in my life, and yes, distraught is the right word. I did seek therapy, did the work, and genuinely believed I had processed it, wrapped it up, and said a tidy goodbye.

So imagine my surprise as we drove through the mountains on New Zealand’s South Island, surrounded by breathtaking scenery, when I began noticing signs of recent land and mudslides. Once you know what to look for, you cannot unsee it. A bare swath through the trees, exposed dirt and mud, no regrowth yet. I find myself spotting these areas everywhere now, almost instinctively.

Streams and riverbeds have taken on new meaning for me too. When you have witnessed a shallow ten-foot creek transform into a forty-foot-deep crater, you pay attention. You wonder how recently that body of water was formed and what kind of storm it took to create it.

The west coast of the South Island receives an astonishing amount of rain, roughly fourteen feet a year. Driving along winding mountain roads while it is pouring can make me uneasy. Heavy rain in mountainous terrain now registers in my brain as potential danger, whether that reaction is logical or not.

I still love every minute of being here. We are having a wonderful time, and I am incredibly grateful for this experience. What caught me off guard was the return of some mild PTSD symptoms in a completely different environment. It never crossed my mind that they could show up here. Vacations are supposed to be where you leave that stuff behind, right?

Thankfully, I am using the tools my therapist gave me, and my husband has been wonderful. I truly am okay. This is simply part of working through how my perceptions have changed and learning to gain perspective on those changes. It has been unexpectedly interesting, and humbling, to notice how deeply experience can reshape the way we see the world.