Forest Bathing

Some years back, an old friend shared about the wonders of forest bathing.  Well, it seems that I've been doing that for a long time.

Just never called it forest bathing.

Being mindful with Nature, being in touch with sights, smells, sounds, and touch of Nature has been part of me since childhood.

But the reminder to be conscious of every step, sound, smell, sight, and touch helps to bring one back to being part of the greater universe.

Go back to Nature but with a more conscious mind.  And be aware of all around.

Life in the Past

Today, I conducted a session on Change.  I shared with my students how nostalgia is something we crave for but need to face the reality that the Good Old Days we remember aren't coming back.

I returned to the office and found an old photo from my past. Those were young and carefree days; days we spent running exploring the world and going on adventures we now reminisce.

London, summer of 1987. It was adventure of self-discovery. 

Now a story told to the next generation.

Promise of a New Beginning

It has been a hectic year so far. 

Struggling with many changes in life.

The bleak, dark days sap the energy out of life.

But there is always hope.

That tomorrow's new beginning brings possibilities.

Where there is still hope, life continues.

Waiting

Like a beacon in the night, I wait.
Some days, the promised dawn arrives.

Some days, the sun does not shine through the cloud

Between Moments

In the quiet of the early morning hours, 

I reach into the crack of time

 between

 the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon.

Life is a transition,

a constant transition,

between 

the certainty of yesterday gone and

the promise and hope and fear

of a tomorrow to come.

Age

There are moments when we think of ourselves as the most important beings on this planet.

Then we see the majesty of the mountains and the wonder of Nature.

And we are reminded to be humble.



Solitary

There are times in our lives when the silence is preferred over the company of friends. 

Humanity's Minute-ness

As we stand in the face of the wonders of the land,

we stand in appreciation of how small we stand in the greater realm of just this one Earth.

And when we wonder in awe of all Creation,

we are less than a grain of sand on the beaches of everything.

Wonder of God's Creation

Been away too long.


The frightening thought of how much work life eats into our day tires me.


A need to refocus came with a reminder in the morning sky today.


God has bigger plans than the daily grind at work.


Stop.  Look.  Listen.


To your heart, to your mind, to your soul.


Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:2

Wonder of God's Creation

Been away too long.


The frightening thought of how much work life eats into our day tires me.


A need to refocus came with a reminder in the morning sky today.


God has bigger plans than the daily grind at work.


Stop.  Look.  Listen.


To your heart, to your mind, to your soul.


Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:2

Morning in the Tropics

Good to get out in the morning in the tropics and catch a little sunshine and warmth before the day gets too hot and humid.

Just about the time to catch the sun rising and the birds come through the morning air with their song.

This is probably one of the two best times in the tropics.  That one moment when Nature awakes.




The other best time comes as the sun sets - that brief moment before the world plunges into darkness and the jungle comes alive with new sounds and noises that trembles the human souls.




But for now, savor the morning freshness as the earth dries itself of the dew that comes from the night's cool air.

Moon

A couple of months back, I took a shot of the moon from my window. Don't get to go out much these days. It's been a long and tiring time since Christmas.


But by not going out enough and not moving on, one stagnates into a wallow of questions that cannot have simple answers.


Instead, one should step out into the world and see everything with fresh eyes.


How many countless pairs of eyes have seen the moon over the millennia. But tonight, the moon is mine and it calls to me.


When will we, as a race, live on the moon? I hope by then, we learn how to take care of the gifts given to us.

Away for too long

I have not been active in the past months. Truth be told, I have not been well.  I tire easily these days and going out with the camera has become a very draining experience.


But like the phoenix, I need to rise out of my ashes and keep going. Even if there is one ounce of motivation and inspiration out there, it must be enough to keep me going.

Caught this sunset last weekend. Not much of a sunset since I missed that moment when the sun slipped away past the horizon. But that's life isn't it, we often miss that moment when good things (or bad things) slip by us.


Instead, we focus on whatever beauty we can find, whatever we can savor and move on.


To another sunrise, to another rainbow, to another sunset. We just keep moving.

Rise with the Birds

It was a crummy evening yesterday when the car broke down and had to be towed away for repairs. As I scrambled to make alternative transport arrangements this morning, I ended up at the office long before the first rays of the morning sun turned the sky ablaze.

It's peaceful now. The air is fresh with a hint of the morning rain. I can even smell fragrance of the Water Jasmine around me.  In the skies, the birds are breezing through the morning air, chirping away like the world belongs to them.

It's really peaceful in the early morning hours before the mad rush of the work day overtakes us and stresses us out. I now understand better why Grandma would rise long before everyone to take her cup of tea outside in the morning chill - it's that hour when one can be most at peace with the world.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

We are always looking back even as we are moving forward. The back is the past we leave behind - familiar settings, familiar people, familiar things.

Ahead of us lies the unknown, the uncertain, the fears.

White cliffs of Dover, in leaving England for an adventure ahead.

We also remember that in our cars, the windshield in front of us is a lot bigger than the rearview mirror we use to look behind us.

Then, let this be a reminder that while we will still look back, it's the front - the future - that beckons in our journeys.

The mysteries, the excitement, the adventure that awaits.

Loss

The earthquake struck. People die. Young people. The pain, the grief, the sorrow.

Beyond words, beyond understanding, beyond reason.

The loss is real. No words, no deeds can change that.

Turbulent Waters

Turmoil. Troubles.Turbulence.

The troubled soul needs to find solace within the turbulence.

Somewhere in the midst of everything, we will find quiet comfort.

A high-speed exposure of moving water in a fountain with underwater light.

There was a time when the sun never set on the British Empire. There was a time when we believe that the Western powers had the secrets to progress and modernisation. There was a time when we had doubts in our own ability to create, to achieve, to succeed.

That time is long past. We need to realise that we have the power within us to make things happen, the will within us to create a new tomorrow, the desire within us to leave a legacy that the generations to come will appreciate.

Make a difference to our world. Now. Because there may not be a tomorrow.

We Remember

A young man died in Ferguson, Missouri, USA, this week.  A young man on the verge of conquering the world as he prepared for the university.  A young man died, unnecessarily this week.

One young man in USA.  And thousands more like him - men and women, boys and girls - across this troubled world. 

The moon watches over our troubled earth.  The stars watch over our troubled world.  And somewhere among the galaxies, a life form may come down and teach us how we should live.

Until then, we need to look inwards and make a decision on what we really should do. 

Before we destroy ourselves.

Rest in Peace, Mike Brown.

Gone

My hard disk crashed.  Along with the thousands of photos, captured over the years.  The memories of childhoods, the memories of growing up, the memories of growing old.

I have learned, the hard way, that nothing in life is permanent.

I have learned that we need to be more prepared.

I have learned not to take things for granted.

And to the memories of the days past, the memories etched not in the hard disks and virtual disks of the new technological wilderness, but in the recesses of our minds and our hearts, I dedicate this photo.

Taken in some faraway land, in a forgotten time.  A time and a place where the children and grandchildren will probably puzzle over in the years ahead.  A time and a place special to only to the ones who were there.