Mountains or music, which is better at banishing the workday blues? The ultimate answer...

This week, weighed down by work stress, I decided to escape into the mountains. I discovered a musical homestay called "Sicily·Slow." Before arriving, I thought the mountain breeze would blow away my anxiety🍃 or that flowing melodies would soothe my restlessness🎶🎸 Until...I met them—the homestay owner and his friends: a group deeply rooted in music—directors, actors, investors... We were just guests, but the owner warmly "detained" us: "Come, come, join us for a drink!"🍷🍷 From the owner's a cappella Italian song at dusk🎶 to conversations about life, love, and the musicals these veterans adore— topics flowed like mountain springs, and they’d burst into song anytime🎸 Then the most absurd yet touching moment happened! At 1 a.m., we—two complete amateurs— were enthusiastically invited by these veterans🎉 to rehearse lines from their newly adapted musical! Under the homestay’s warm, dim lights✨✨ we followed their cadence and gestures, dancing along...💃 In that moment, all social anxiety and work fatigue vanished into thin air, leaving only clumsy, joyful laughter echoing around. What moved me most wasn’t the mountain serenity or the beautiful music, not even this impromptu "performance"💃 but the genuine spark in their eyes when they talked about their passions!✨ That pure, devoted, almost obsessive energy was utterly contagious💫 It was this light that made them so open, pulling two strangers instantly into their universe of passion🪐 In that moment, it hit me🏹: We often think escaping somewhere will cure work fatigue, using environment to fight exhaustion. But perhaps the real remedy isn’t running away🏃 but finding what makes your eyes shine with passion🫶 and turning it into the "battlefield" you’re eager to charge toward! The mountains are stunning, the music magical, but what truly healed me was: seeing people love their lives and work so vibrantly. That light was fresher than mountain air, more moving than any melody🌟💫 The homestay itself was wonderful too! Super chill vibes🍷 Like living inside a musical story🎸 But this time, the people outshone the scenery. May we all live in our passions. Have you found the work that makes your eyes sparkle?