Picture found on the Internet.
A delicate Balance exists,
In perception of all duality.
In Awareness, discern,
The Real from the Unreal.
Sitting close, no measure of distance
Over the distance, we are almost One.
Our Fullness, keeps alive all relationships
Our Emptiness, kills potential relationships.
Eyes Closed, dream
Eyes Open, manifest Reality.
Knowing the Extremities
Walk not, along the edges edge.
Best, Journey in Equilibrium.
1. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! To all my friends who celebrate.
2. I haven’t written a ttt in a long while, not because I don’t have thoughts but because I was lazy.
3. I couldn’t get through those history books about Korea and the “Tale of Genji”.. I returned them without reading all the pages. Been in that mode where I couldn’t sit continuously for more than ½ hour and even that had something else to do.
4. In all of my dreary, dark, rainy, cant get to all things, sleepy, cranky time, Coffee has been the most Loyal Companion… Thank you darling!
5. I was so enthused about watching the Lunar Eclipse coinciding with the solstice but when the time came, we had Clouds and the Moon wasnt seen. So well, I went to bed. Guess that was one good thing. For the first time “they who love the clouds and rain” (my children and husband) were annoyed with the clouds, they didn’t even want to consider their shapes *giggling*
6. My husband took off from work for the two weeks until New Year…It feels nice to not be in a hurry to wake up in the morning. The house looks disorderly but we are happy(except for my obsession with order), warm and have a full belly. What more could I ever want?
7. I have been watching a lot of movies. I don’t know if I will review them.. One that is worth mentioning was Aghora. I liked the set and the presentation of ideas from that time.
8. I read about the California storms, I hope all my friends there, are safe and well.
9. I have been learning to talk, read and write Korean… and am seeing how age affects the learning. Concentration - down 50%, tongue working with sounds -down 30%, Memory of what I studied- down 60% and I am so annoyed at my slow progress. But I am not giving up just yet, just need to work a little harder.
10. I have been reading a lot about the wikileaks and the opinions it has brought out. I am on the fence about it for a few reasons 1. I don’t think Officials representing us should be so unprofessional in their job. 2. When we pay our taxes, we do have a right to know how and where the money goes, how we are represented to others. 3. This is a reflection of how our microscopic world is…this is Gossip in the Large scale, which means we are getting back what we do in our individual lives.(I don’t mean all of us, I mean the majority of us) 4. I don’t think wikileaks did this out of the “goodness” of their hearts. 5. It is showing us how our government works – the manipulation done in the name of treaties and trade, the corruption of the idea of democracy and so on. I believe we are at a point in history where we will be forced to make changes to our way of thinking, living and doing. When we need to start on a different path, we need to come clean.. and right now I suspect that is what is happening… the coming clean so we can start fresh.
11. For today the sky has stopped leaking, so I am going to get out and make the best of it, while it lasts.
12. I am looking forward to the New Year. I have no idea why, hmmm.. maybe cause its coming no matter what I want *giggling*.
Thank you for reading, leaving your thoughts and for Being the ones who gently touch my life and make it more beautiful. Have a wonderful Day, wherever you are.
Peace
Rashmi.
To be an ocean
Holding the worlds tears
My own, just a few drops
A smile curves my lips
Rippling across the waters
Sending heart intended Joy
Wave after wave
Across the distant shores.
To be the sky
Enveloping the earth
With bright hued strands
Of Love, warmth and well being
Always there but unbeholden
Being a part, yet apart
At all times
Knowing itself.
To be a Tree,
Tall and Sturdy
Bending and flexing
With the winds cruising
Grounded in conviction,
An integration
Of acts and thoughts
Across a life lived well.
What bliss would it be
Finding the ocean, sky and tree
Within the confines of me.
It is eighteen months, since your leaving
Eighteen months, in unseen mourning
I eat, drink, work, sleep and wake
Keeping the pretence of a serene lake.
I refuse to cry
I know not why
Lacking courage, to ever pry.
Walking in silence outside the door
Afraid to delve into the core
Shunning thoughts that crave my voice
Watching emotions that refuse my choice.
I wait for release
Bound by time's lease
Knowing you will always be, my memories.
Cocktail lounge, Norway:
"LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR."
At a Budapest zoo:
"PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY."
Doctors' office, Rome:
"SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES."
Dry cleaners, Bangkok:
"DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS."
In a Nairobi restaurant:
"CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER."
On an Indian river highway:
"TAKE NOTICE - WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE."
In a City restaurant:
"OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS."
A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer:
"DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS."
In a cemetery:
"PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY, BUT THEIR OWN,GRAVES."
Tokyo hotel's rules ad regulations:
"GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIORS IN BED."
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
"OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR."
In a Tokyo bar:
"SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS."
Hotel, Yugoslavia:
"THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID."
Hotel, Japan:
"YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID."
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
"YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY."
A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:
"IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE."
Hotel, Zurich:
"BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE."
Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand:
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?"
In the window on a Swedish furrier:
"FUR COATS MADE FOR LADIES FROM THEIR OWN SKIN."
The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong:
"GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE."
In a Swiss mountain inn:
"SPECIAL TODAY - NO ICE-CREAM."
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
"WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS."
A laundry in Rome:
"LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME."
I am going to state the obvious, for that is what is on my mind. Its fall here in Oregon. As much as I like the change of colours, the incessant rains get to me, the darkness gets to me, the festival season gets to me. Suddenly I am aware of the lack of - belonging, family, friends I grew up with. Every year when spring comes I make a silent promise to not complain about the weather and I never seem to keep that promise... Although in truth, the complaints have lessened, from complaining every 3 hours or so to complaining once in 3 days. I have begun to attribute this feeling to a habit, a passing phase every year like having to sleep every night. This feeling visits me every fall, stays over the winter and leaves me alone once spring arrives. Now to other things that occupy space in my mind.
Diwali, the festival of lights is on the 5th of November. So the House is getting thoroughly cleaned, old stuff are getting thrown out or given away and days have become busy, not because everything is being done, but because of the pre-occupation of getting everything done by 5th. This is something that we do at the onset of spring and fall. Rid the old (patterns) that arent working for us so the new have a place in our lives.
I have been following whats happening in Indonesia. Its sad and scary to imagine what the people there are going through. I see pictures and it like going through pictures of the earlier earthquakes and volcanic eruptions... Natural disaster, people dying, the living struggling, only the place and time is different. History repeats itself... There must be a pattern to it too.
The mid-term elections are on their way and I am appalled at the ads for candidates. Every ad is a negative ad about some canditate. Why? for heavens sake, cant they stick with what they will do right instead of what others are doing wrong? I dont see strength of character when people spread rumours/propaganda, gossip, involve others wrongs to view themselves as righteous/good. Maybe I am idealistic and naive with the workings of the world but I know wrong when I see one. When you start something by putting another down and stepping on them, the results arent going to be good. Everything starts with intention. I dont see the intention to make life better for those governed, in those ads. What I see is a wanting to get in office any way possible. Yes, the perks of ambitious Go-Getting attitude. Why are we like this? I am not saying dont get to a high place but please there are right ways of doing it... Even if the intention is right, if you take the wrong steps to get the right result, things will not work out.
I have been having weird dreams. They dont make any sense to me. I cant remember all of it when I wake, except for something that stood out. In one, I stopped walking(yes, I always walk in my dreams, I dont understand that either, why cant I be taking a bus/train/plane/car? hmph!!)and pulled out a thorn from my barefeet. Last night, I dreamed a long dream but I only remember this part - I had a one winged moth on my clothes. I dreamed of my long dead grandmother coming down a mountainside(I dream of the wildest places, mostly untouched) and she was dressed in white(usually someone who is a widow dresses in white in our community and my grandmom was a widow when she passed) with lots of pearl jewellery(which is weird, cause she never wore any after she became a widow in real life). Anyone care for dream interpretations?
I am still reading Korean History, theres a lot to assimilate. I think I should learn to speak Korean, its fascinating to me. Or maybe thats a phase too. I am also reading "The fifth agreement" . And "The Tale of Genji" which is fascinating.. I am not sure if I should review them, cause its mostly history and legend and insights into self.
We had a cold/cough/allergy sharing in our home and I am still coughing...My flute playing has become a mess with me having a cold. I cant breathe and my playing sounds more like a stuck up hiccup than flowing wind. Icky(not that I played Fantastically before)
Whats it with trousers from the store.. they never sit right on my waist...who ever thought low-riders are great way to wear trousers? Why wear a trouser if it shows your underwear and butt-crack? What were they thinking? *sigh* I need to learn sewing... I dont "dig" the trousers that come into the stores.
I watched an old movie with Meg Ryan(I like her, dont ask me why? I dont know) in it "Proof of life". It got me thinking on various issues in relationships...I wondered about the kinds of Love, Friendship, Gratitude, wanting to give of ourselves to others that we experience. I liked Russell Crowe's character in it. Of course, I loved his character in "A Beautiful Mind" and in "Gladiator". Like Hugh Jackman, this guy has a talent to bringing out what he feels...But he doesnt beat - Sir Anthony Hopkins or Pierce Brosnan..*giggling*.
I have been keeping my word about organizing my life...My life fell from being "spic-span, very disciplined, orderly" days, after the children were born. I am not very good with changes, especially when those changes mean I give up my idea of perfection(which I finding is pure BS these days). I feel grateful on one hand to my children for having shown me that theres more to life than routine and perfection and on the other, I badly want to get back to being a little disciplined with my life, if not as much as it was before they came. Its a tug of war my mind goes through. I am learning to let it be for myself. I am good at accepting others ways even when I dont agree with it, but I am hard on myself. I am learning to flow with what is when it comes to myself, without forcing myself to be the way I THINK I should be. It is difficult but its a goal in being happy with myself. I should say, I have been a lot at ease with myself since.
Thank you all for reading and leaving your thoughts. It means a lot to me.
Chores await my attention....So off I go...
Signing off
Peace
Rashmi.
Read this at Momofrs's wordpress site and had to share here. Laughter shared is laughter doubled. So have fun.
The guys were all at a deer camp.
No one wanted to room with Fred, because he snored so badly. They decided it wasn’t fair to make one of them stay with him the whole time, so they voted to take turns.
The first guy slept with Fred and came to breakfast the next morning with his hair a mess and his eyes all bloodshot. They said, “Man, what happened to you?” He said, “Fred snored so loudly, I just sat up and watched him all night.”
The next night it was a different guy’s turn. In the morning, same thing — hair all standing up, eyes all bloodshot. They said, “Man, what happened to you? You look awful!” He said, ‘Man, that Fred shakes the roof with his snoring. I couldn’t sleep. I watched him all night.”
The third night was Jim’s turn. Jim was a tanned, older cowboy; a man’s man. The next morning he came to breakfast bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. “Good morning!” he said. They couldn’t believe it. They said, “Man, what happened?” He said, “Well, we got ready for bed. I went and tucked Fred into bed, patted him on the butt, and kissed him good night.
Fred sat up and watched me all night.”
Darts of harsh words
Sting my unseen sheath
Tearing them apart
If only they were
Sticks and stones
Leaving proof of marks
May be you would stop
Giving me a chance
To tend to my wounds.
Words used with, guided missile preciseness
How powerful you must feel
As you put me down
Punched and kicked, as I kneel.
Enough!! My mind screams
I stand up
As you stare back menacingly.
Gathering up courage
Pushing aside long grown fear
I watch your eyes, shift with doubt
My mind stilled with the decision,
Come what may -
Today, I stand my Ground,
Yet, continue to move.
Today I will push back,
Without pushing you.
Today I will fight,
Without fighting you.
With a smile I walk away,
Leaving you be
In letting you go
I set myself free.
1. Whatever happens, coffee makes me feel good...Maybe Coffee is my God.
2.Its fall and I have proof, its raining, cold, leaves are on the ground, I have to rake, I have a massive allergy attack - a gong in my head and a faucet for a nose.
3. Still laughing at this funny conversation - Scene : Its evening, the kids just finished homework and they were reading. Son looks up from his book and says : Mamma, why are mammals called mammals?
Me : The word is derived from Mammary glands, which is a Scientific name for breast, which produces milk for the young. So a mammal is any animal that has milk for its young..
Son : So then Men are not mammals.. They dont have milk and they cant have babies..Hmph! I dont like that. But then we could be birds, I would love that.
We all became very quiet, trapped in silence and my daughter started to laugh. Yep, that was a laughter fest.
4. Reading as usual.. I got "The fifth agreement" by Miguel Ruiz. Not done with the books on Korea, Not done with The Tale of Genji, but I am happy just staring at them.. I must be nuts.
5. I have so much to say about the Topic for the Creative Challenge word-Solitude, I dont know where to start and I know by the time I write, I would have struck down 90 percent of my thoughts.
6. We finally bought the van we have been talking about for over a year and a half.. Now I am glad we can move on and talk about something else.
7. The squirrels are at it again, my plants have soil all around them..its beginning to look like an abandoned project.
8. Got 5 more chillies from the plant.. Thank you! chilli plant.
9. With the cold and cough merry go round in our home, I need a genie to clean up. I am tired.
10. Hmm.. maybe I should use the genie to cure the cold, I dont mind the work if I am not tired.
Thank you for reading.. Have a wonderful day. Remember to Smile and be Amused.
P. S. just read about the Tsunami in Indonesia...Lets hope the damage to life is minimal.
Peace
Rashmi.
Gibran said "Remembrance is a form of meeting"
So, I believe I did meet you
As you ambled freely
Through my Mind
Churning the moments
Woven into eons of carpet
Covering my mind's ground
Oozing the warmth of a fire
Burning slowly, steadily...
The never-ending logs
Running into Chapters
Of an unfinished Book.
I believe I was to meet you
In the mind street
Where Love street intersects
With Friends and Ambition
But, I lost my way
Arriving at a dead end.
Yet, we did meet.
Gibran said "Forgetfulness is a form of freedom"
I know what he means
For I feel light,
As that feather
That floats randomly
Touching memories
I know, are there
But have no memory of.
More Lighter, on the days
Chores are forgotten
Yet they are done
Arguments are forgotten
And winning matters not
Foes are forgotten
And spoken to like friends
Hunger is forgotten
And I need no exercise.
Aye, Forgetfulness is a form of freedom.
Ria is glad to be home. There is something about the country of birth that she cant quite put her finger on. She wonders why the phrase has always been "put a finger on" cant it be "put a toe on" or any other appendage? Never mind, She was glad to be home.
Early next morning she takes her camera and goes out for a walk. Its been five years since she was last here. Five years since she walked these streets or saw so many people of the same hair, eye and skin colour as her own. Five years since she walked to get milk or groceries. Five years since she heard the Koyal's call or saw street dogs and cows roam free. Five years since she saw autorickshaws, heard the temple bells ring or the call to Azaan. She soaked all the sounds and sights to her minds saturation as she clicked what she knows she maynot see again once she leaves here. It felt so good. The roads, the stores, the vegetables, fruits and people seem to have shrunk. She smiles as it occurs to her that she now has a new frame of reference through which she is viewing what she once knew. She titles it "The US lens". In the past five years, she got accustomed to 4-6 laned roads with traffic following the rules, people who are on an average taller and bigger than the puny Indian she is, stores that are huge that she needed a map to navigate through, grocery just left for our picking, a life lived Kingsize or in her instance, Queensize.
She looks across the Main road that marks the boundary of the neighbourhood where she lives and notices the small make shift cardboard and tarp shelters that have cropped up. "Oh a Slum so close?" She wonders if no Minister of the Parliament lived close by. If he/she did, slums wouldnt dare crop up in the locality. She sees that the Old Fair Price Depot has moved to a bigger lot, yet the queue is long for kerosene. She remembers her childhood when she stood in those queues waiting in line for the ration of sugar, rice, palm-oil and wheat. It felt like so long ago yet the sight brought back the same sense of lack she felt as a child, a sense of inadequacy, of knowing only the lower rungs of the ladder of wealth and a sense of Having Not. Ironic she thinks...when you read about all the "progress and industry" , "India Shining" slogans, the "Emerging Superpowers of India and China" headlines along with the "trickle down" effects of economy that the media outside India, churns out. Yes she thinks as she returns from her walk, whatever Trickled Down probably never touched the ones who lived on the Floor.
Yesterday, you saw me, in the darkness of the evening
You assumed I was from Mexico and said "Ola"
And broke into a seemingly happy spiel in Spanish
While I stared at you, unable to respond in kind.
I walked away feeling miffed for not knowing Spanish.
Today, you saw me, in broad daylight
You saw my dotted forehead and joined your palms
You didnt know the word but I respond in Kind
"Namaste" I smiled thankfully, for though you didnt know the word
I understood you meant the gesture with every fibre of your being.
Sometimes a gesture is enough to make me feel at Home.
1. I hope to be back for a while. I havent been very much online for the past three weeks. I apologize for not making my rounds to your sites. Life sometimes just happens.
2. Last Saturday was the festival of Dusshera, the end of the 9 day festival of Navratri. The festival is focussed on the Mother Goddess, Durga. I hope the intentions I have will work to fruition.
3. I missed being in India for this season. I thought, after a decade of life outside, I will miss less and less of what was home. I thought wrong. The intensity is less but the feeling of melancholy and missing is always there.
4. Its been a while since I participated in any of the Multiply Groups I am part of. I am considering getting out of a few just so I wont feel like an idiot for being in one without making any substantial contribution to it.
5. As usual I have a few books I am reading, more like referencing. I havent read it from cover to cover. I randomly open the book and read a few pages from where it opened to...
6. Fall, the colors changing, the chilly weather and cloudy sky is clouding my brain too. My muse has left, not sure if he will return. I am sort of miserable from loving him but not having him. This is one love I want to POSSESS, even when I know that is wrong.
7. The children are enjoying their school, which makes me happy. I will know more with the PT conferences coming up. They have their father's gene when it comes to telling me about their day.
8. I finally got some tomatoes from the plants, I should say it was LLLOOONNNGG overdue. They were smaller than what I had expected but they were tasty. None of my vege plants gave an yield, yet. I must be doing something wrong.
9. I watched a few movies now that we subscribe to Netflix. I watched Blind Side and enjoyed the movie inspite of knowing nothing about American Football. Think I am going nuts.
10. My neighbour's youngest son is leaving today, on a two year missionary work(they are Mormons). She is sad yet trying to be brave...I see a future me in her. I hope to be as brave as her when my time comes to let go of my children as they make their way through the world.
Thank you for reading so far. Where ever you are may the sun shine warmly, the rains fall softly and the rainbows be colourful.
Peace
Rashmi.
I watched the movie Invictus. The movie is based on true events of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. Post-Apartheid South Africa’s, then President, Nelson Mandela used the opportunity for bringing unity between the whites and blacks in the divided nation. It made me question - what it means to lead? How many faces does discrimination have? What should a leader be like, the intention, the thoughts and how it manifests? Do we really ever surpass our own expectations of ourselves?
Morgan Freeman played President Nelson Mandela very well. I had watched Mandela make his speech and Mr. Freeman has picked up subtle nuances very well. Matt Damon, plays Fracios Piennar, the Captain of the South African Springbucks Rugby team. I liked his effort in speaking with an accent. I would say, he did the job well. I had to listen really careful to understand what he said. The contrasting feelings are brought out very beautifully. The despair some of the Afrikaners feel at Mandela’s release. The fear in the Head of Security for Mandela, Jason, when he sees that the men assigned to guard the President are the very same White men of the special forces who most suspect were the ones who did the arrest, prosecution and torture of the anti-apartheid protestors. The racial tensions that are subtle yet palpable once Mr. Mandela takes office. And finally the getting together of all the people when the team wins is just beautifully portrayed. It is an inspiring movie. Something very similar to Chak-De India, although the discrimination there is more regional, religion and language based than colour. This is a movie I would recommend watching. And Rugby wouldn’t be a sport of choice for me. A sport should be a sport, for fun, enjoyment and entertainment, instead of coming back with black and blue bodies. Of course, that just my opinion and preference.
I have a soft corner for Clint Eastwood. He was someone whose movies I watched, growing up. I liked the quiet man, the talk less do more kind of characters he chose. I have never met him or spoken to him, but I feel from the vibe he gives off, a sense of someone grounded, someone who is a warrior at heart, someone who is idealistic enough to want what is good and noble. I could be wrong but I like to believe I am right.
Most of what I watched of his movies were westerns. At the time, I loved reading anything by Louis L’amour. I was fascinated by cowboy country, the horse riding and being quick and precise with shooting. The hero’s sense of - honour, dignity and loyalty had a special place in my heart. I loved the idea that they had values that I valued. I loved looking into the Atlas my dad bought for me, staring at the huge continents of Americas. And as I read the westerns, I would mark the places on the map, wonder how life must be. If the landscape is as it was described. After all at the time I was in India.
Maybe it was a run off from my earlier hero worship of the Arjuna, the Hero from Mahabharatha. I liked Arjuna, never understood why, I liked he was a good marksman. He was adept at Music and Dancing too. How many warriors from India can boast of being good with something hard like their weapons while being equally good at something soft like a musical instrument or arts? That idea of softness tempered with hardness, appealed to me. It still does. The idea of a Man on a chariot with Bow strung and letting go of arrows that never missed their mark gave me a sense of Historical Achievement. I still have that fascination… I don’t tire of reading about warriors and legends from the past. I guess in some part of being I live in a past I can only imagine.
Presently I am reading the History of Koreas. Not the modern day, but the ancient ones. And they had legends too…mostly warring tribes that joined to form a Nation in that peninsula. Every piece of earth has some hero that can be looked up to. I find it amazing to see how alike we are. No matter where we come from, what language we speak or what foods we eat, there is always songs of someone great, of someone who lead either through wars or to peace, and most always, they have the very same qualities of strength and character. I like that about us, Humans.
Not to forget, as I end this write up, I had to post this poem that was read in the Film. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Invictus - William Ernest Henley (1849-1902- Gloucester, England)
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Peace
Rashmi
They say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
But this apple has rolled far.
So far, that it can’t roll back into the shade of its tree.
Would an apple tree grow under the shade of the other trees?
They say, that there’s always a someone,
We want to hold on to.
It is you, it isn’t me,
Why does it not hold for both you and me?
They say, the truth sets you free.
The truth I heard, has made me
As knotted up as can be.
Will I be set free?
They say, time heals all wounds,
Yet, there are wounds that never do so
They ache in the most inopportune moments.
Would time heal it before we pass?
They say, they said so, from their consistent experience,
Yet, none of mine is consistent with theirs.
A square peg in this round world
Would the edges smooth out?
We meander
Through the maze,
We meet,
Wandering in a daze,
We seek,
Learn the depths of each other,
We smile
Reaching for the other’s hearts,
We draw
Lines that zigzag and crisscross
We dream
Every meeting fills with joy
We hope
Every parting is warm with promise
Of meeting again, the way we are Now.
1. Its the first day of school after vacation. Just left them and got back. The house feels very empty. Usually this is the time of most activity during the vacation. But I admit, I do like the Quiet House.
2. I wonder how they get some coffee to be strong and some so light. Do they boil them before roasting so that their potency is less?
3. I am watching the Hurricane across the Amercian east coast,Flood situation in Pakistan, Landslides due to floods in Gautemala and China, Aftermath of the Hostage situation and backlash from Hong Kong in the Phillipines. My attention is drawn to the impermanence of life, while wishing I could be objective, as I view these happenings.
4. We reviewed our summer yesterday and the children told us that they had the best summer EVER...well, that made me happy. That is incentive for us to plan for the next summer.
5. I am working at getting better organized with my life as I know it has its advantages as much as my attitude to go with whatever is happening as it happens.
6. I had an encounter with a lady with teenage children and well her experience with her kids made me worry about what will become of my children...In some obscure place, my rational knows that it is so irrational to worry about it. I try to keep the attitude of "we'll cross the bridge when we come to it" but on this occasion I seem to have picked her vibes of sadness and frustration, and overshot my worry into the future...Why am I so foolish?
7. The quote that has been with me this week is "Practice is an effort to secure steadiness." I want a Balance in my Life, so I need to learn to be steady, consistent while being flexible. Am I asking for too much?
8. We have a dreary day today.
9. My children said they have butterflies in their stomach. I am hoping their teachers will set the tone for the year by making their first day in their class an enjoyable one.
10. Knowing something and applying that knowing in practice, is like life on two different planets.
Have a wonderful day. Remember your favorite songs, times and loves and Smile through.
Peace
Rashmi
Within the invisible expanse of her mind
She sat at the table
Auditing her memories
Picking, sorting, rechecking, stacking
Touching the dusty files
Fondly, sadly, happily, regretfully.
Stacking them under the labels
"That doesn't make sense"
"Remembered - this time, this place, this person"
"To be forgotten"
"Cherished"
"For My Information(FMI)"
"To be Trashed"
As she burns the Trash,
She remembers each event,
Each person involved, dead or alive
Her own involvement, witness or participant
Each wonder, each hurt
And files them under
"Even in Death, never part".
If I had a lousy memory and didnt remember any of the by gone days, Would every day be a wonder?
If I had selective memory and remembered only the moments I was happy, would Life be happier?
If I mapped a way through time to being a child, even though I am chronologically all grown up, would life be something to look forward to?
If I could accept all that I see, know and understand without resentment, grudge or annoyance, would life be graceful?
If I saw what the seers see when they say "You are me and I am you", Would l know eternity?
If I found the answers to all my questions, would Life be more meaningful?
If I didnt care to question nor be impressed with the answer, would Life become meaningless?
1. School will begin in a week. I am looking forward to empty, cleaner house and time to write. As much as I enjoy being around my children, I still like a break.
2. I am growing old, I heard my joints creek this morning and I saw more grey hair... Aye, I woke up feeling like I was ancient. I am thinking it has to do with the dull weather we have had these past 3 days.
3. On Sunday evening we found squirrel babies that fell out of the tree and the mother was no where around, so later we took them and kept them warm and on Monday we took them to the animal shelter. Will call them today to find out how they are doing. Here is a picture of them.. I didnt want to exploit their misery so this is the only one we have for the memory book.
4. I cant stand those rascals that dig in my planters yet I I wanted the little ones to live long and healthy. Weird eh? Why cant I be consistent with what I feel?
5. I have been running across comments about Obama and his religion. Seriously, I am very ashamed at the way my species think. We are so unfocussed about our priorities in life and we have time for the unnecessary. So his religion is more important than finding employment, making sure that everyone gets healthcare, making sure that schools are "educating" and not just baby sitting, making sure that punishment actually fits the crime or for that matter finding ways in which people dont need to do something criminal so they can live. Aye, I am the Ignorant Idealist.
6. I got 7 more beans from my bean plant. All of the Dahlias bloomed. The fig tree looks beautiful. I like working with plants, even when I end up knowing that there are muscles in my back. And they dont take advantage of your kindness or your care for them.
7. My children are growing taller. I need to find trousers that are long yet have a small waist and shirts that dont fall of their shoulders. *sigh* Another hunt session. I hate shopping.
8. I got myself new sandals and then realized that summer is over...Well, Thank heavens! my feet dont grow anymore.
9. My husband had a shocker when he saw a Picture of Catherine Zeta Jones without the makeup. And I danced mentally with my two left feet.
10. Thank you for visiting and reading up to here. May this day be a joyful, productive Day. May you find a smile in everything you do.
Peace
Rashmi.
To flow like water, making her way
Through obstacles that splatter her pathway
Silently she silences, others noise
As she moves to find her voice
Over that edge - Her Threshold
Her Roar, a sight to behold.
1. We are back from the Canada Trip. Home feels so good.
2. Looks like summer is done, theres leaves on the ground and raking to get to.
3. I like technology, especially when it allows you to water your plants without needing to hire someone to do it.
4. I was reading someone's opinion about vices, and read that People who drink or smoke are the most Honest... Think I should Drink and Smoke so that I will get that award for Honesty? I sat there wondering why I didnt know of it before *bangs head to the wall*.
5. I had the most productive day yesterday. I got everything I wanted to get done, Done(except for exercise of course).
6. I have to remind myself to be patient with my son...hes into the dreaming/lost phase. Could the vacation, the being in a new place caused this malady?
7. My family loves my cooking... we should take more holidays, me thinks.
8. We are having a quiet, relaxed day today, without agendas to get to some place or waiting in long queues or being stuck at a traffic jam.
9. Maybe we will visit the library...its our favorite place.
10. Thank you for reading so far. Have a fantastic day.
Peace
Rashmi.
"They exist, I have seen them, I converse with them all the time. What I have writen is true, I document what I see and know."
"Glad you do and your knowing and belief is strong. "
"They are the ones who put us here and are helping us progress."
"Maybe, but I dont know for sure."
"They are the ones who fit the description of our God."
"Your description of them doesnt fit my description of God."
"Why not?"
" 'Cause to me, God is more than form or help given invisibly."
" What is God to you?"
" The energy that pervades all things, existing in all that is the Universe, within matter animate and inanimate and in what is not yet matter, including the ET(if they exist)."
"Isnt it Ironic, you believe in the energy you dont see but you cant believe in the ET that you dont see? Your belief is inconsistent. You dont want to see reality."
"I Know, I dont know many things. I Know, I may not ever know all things there is to know. There is a subtle difference between Knowing and Believing. There are things I know and things I believe. Together, they help me balance and justify my everyday outlook and existence. I believe in the unseen. I know gravity exists even if I dont see it, I feel it. I know magnetic fields exist even if I dont see it, I feel it. I know air exists even if I dont see it, I breathe it and feel it. I know energy exists even if I dont always see it, I feel it- everytime I walk, everytime I breathe, everytime I meet someone or see something I am attracted to or repelled by....But I dont feel the ET, hence to me their existence, though plausible, isnt something I am sure off. The idea hasnt resolved itself in my being. Therefore I refuse to comply with your belief. When I feel them, and see the effect of their existence like I do of gravity, of air, of energy, consistently like I do of all the above...Yes, I will admit, I believe, until then, I will willingly be the eccentric, who doesnt mind getting a wedgy from sitting on the fence...It would be great if we walked together as we agree, to disagree. But if that is not possible, we can part at this fork on the road and walk in parallel universes of our own making(not the ET's or God's). Either way, We will be Fine."
