Graceful: I See It in Nature!

A withering of life in the core – pit of strength. But a fierce display of life. At the moment, bracing its abs and standing strong. A GRACEFUL slowing of each breath. I feel deeply connected…

Graceful

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Brrr …. Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Snow! Snow! Snow! This is from a winter day in the year 2010. My backyard was transformed – milky, silvery, pearly and untouched. Unforgettable! And, I live in a warm climate region! What I do forget is who is that person gathering snow. I’m anticipating a snowball fight 🙂

…Happy Holidays!  Happy Whatever you celebrate.  For me, I open a gift everyday … it’s a gift of the day.  Every morning, I experience my day unwrapping, as I awake.  So, Happy Every Day to you, from me.

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Door – A Busy One!

Street in Cusco, Peru, with sidewalk raised beside this huge door. Life goes on, beside this huge door, as usual, for the locals . As for me, who was there for a couple of days this past July, this door was stunning. I had to stop and take a moment to absorb what this was. A door for sure, a huge one too. But more than that, I was amazed by how these huge doors were just a normal part of these peoples daily lives! How wonderful. And, there were hundreds of these kind of doors in Cusco.

Double and Rotation: Fish in the Double!

They are, as a matter of fact, twins. One just has a longer tail to show!

 

Gone 180 degrees! Upside down too.

Photo 101, day 19

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Doggy Photo Shoot Day #31

Sir Thomas TOOK ME FOR A WALK TODAY 🙂 . After two days of bad weather, he said he had enough! With the Sun shining today, he was in some mood…he kept going and going…and going, for a good 3-miles. In this photo, Sir Thomas taking a short break from walking to sniff nature 🙂 .   

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I’ll go for a walk… with who?

When I crossed our main street to get to the sidewalk, Thomas, my beagle, pulled me to the left, a path we rarely take, as I, automatically, turned to the right, a path we usually take.  I decided to follow his lead.  He seemed happy.  His tail wagging, he took his time walking.

Nice cool breeze on a warm wintry day kept embracing us. And, the mostly cloudy day felt more like spring, not winter.  I felt my mind happily hopping.  I heard a complex symphony of sounds in the background – The chirping of the birds flying over us; the humming of the cars whizzing by us; the soft bark of a dog coming from nearby distance; the rustling of  leaves on trees around us.

As Thomas and I sauntered, I couldn’t help but chuckle remembering an encounter with an acquaintance – I had asked her about why she preferred walking alone.  She had blatantly answered, “Sweetie, because I can fart freely!”

I, too, realize walking by myself is immensely satisfying!  An accurate definition of myself would be  – me and my dog!  These walks are exclusive –  My conversations with myself remain private; my quiet times remain absolutely and phenomenally soothing; my silly but unavoidable burps, spits, and farts become one with the nature :).  Thomas and I walk completely immersed in our own worlds.  I walk leisurely at my own pace.  Actually, leisurely at Thomas’ pace :).  But, both walking, joyfully.

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Starry skies! Happy lives! (Remembering)

About 6 years ago, on a crisp, clear, starry night I walked from my house to my neighbor’s house.  I could see my neighbor, Jim, busy setting up his professional telescope.

All set to look up!
Photo credit: universe today.com

A few kids and adults from the neighborhood had gathered on his driveway; ready to view the moon.  I  had found myself looking up; it looked so bright when it really was so dark.

I was excitedly waiting my turn standing behind the kids.  I finally got my turn!  I saw the craters in the moon… I can never forget the glimpse I got of this faraway beauty.

These are the kind of craters I saw through Jim’s telescope.  Photo credit: space-facts.com

Jim proudly spoke to us about the stars, moon and the planets.  His love for the outer space showed!

Then an amazing thing happened!  We got to see Saturn!  With its rings!  They were fuzzy rings. Nonetheless, they were THE RINGS!  Fuzzy yes! But not fuzzy in my memory!

All set to look up! Photo credit: universe today.com

Today, I came to know that Jim passed away last night.  He had been fighting cancer for the past three years.  He seemed well, and we did not expect this.  But, last night, he was taken to the ER, where he took his last breath, and transitioned to another life.

As I was pondering about him, I realized that last night, too, was a crisp and clear night.  And, the skies were filled with stars.  Jim was not able to set up his telescope, but I bet he was looking through the grandest of telescopes.  And, he decided to take a leap into the unknown – What we know as death.   The body is left behind, but the soul travels on.

Jim, all the best to you in your life-after-life.  The experience on this Earth was in preparation for something beyond our imagination.  I bet you can see planets, moons, galaxies, & universes up close now…

Every time I’ll see a starry night with a glowing moon…I’ll thank you for the night out with the telescope!

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Doggy Photo Shoot Day #26

“You just ate. You go sleep on the couch now, and let me eat my breakfast in peace,” I pleaded with Sir Thomas. Instead of leaving me alone, he kept his constant hopeful-gaze stuck on me; hoping I’d share my food with him 🙂 STUBBORN – can be his middle name! 🙂 🙂

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Doggy Photo Shoot Day #24

“Sir Thomas, what do you see?” I’m asking him. Calmness in his expression is a recent behavior…an indication of his getting older…and, of course, wiser 🙂 (As a pup, everything was basically a trigger for chase-time)

Companionable to Honorific

“I’m so happy you are here,” I say to my Dad, gently kissing him on his cheek.  “I am too.  I am, too,” he replies reaching for his grand-kids.  My daughter hugs him tightly. She is 2 1/2-years-old; and my son, 9-months-old.  This is a penultimate to ‎ Honorific article which I wrote in July 2014.  He made many trips to see us, but this was a trip my dad made 16 years ago.  My kids are now, teenagers.

My daughter is standing up on an adjacent chair where my dad is sitting; her tiny body resting on my dad’s right shoulder. My dad is eating his breakfast.  She’s watching him intently; now poking his cheeks, touching his head; then pulling his scarce hair; and finally, wanting to play with his food.  She is trying to take his toast out of his hands.  He let’s her take it. She dunks it in his tea!  I react,  “No, No, No!”  My dad quickly comes to her defense, “Let her.”  I step aside.  I help my son eat his breakfast.

In focus, is my peripheral vision: The toast, all of it now, is drowned in his tea-cup.  She is attempting to scoop it out with a spoon, only to splatter the content all over the table.  I remain quiet.  She puts the spoon down, but does not give up!  She puts her fingers in the cup, and takes a bit of soggy toast out in her pincer grasp.  A success!  She feeds that to my dad.  YUCK!  He, lovingly, eats it.  Patience and love, that was my dad.  Once she was done, my dad gladly cleaned the mess.

Another beautiful sunny, warm, and breezy day.  I look out the dining room window into our backyard and see my dad watching my daughter play in her sand pit.  I’m so happy he is here!  I notice him adjusting his thick eye-glasses, a few times.  The breeze must be bothering his eyes.

It’s already evening, I’m making my way to the kitchen to fix dinner.  I see my dad standing still in the hallway.  I ask, “Is everything okay, dad?”  He calmly says, “my vision seems blurry.”  I’m nervous now; he then says his vision is good.  I go on to make dinner.  During dinner, we talk about the house-painters, who were coming to paint our house.

The house gets painted in two days.  My dad seems happy with the paint job, “looks bright and beautiful,” he says.  It’s also time for my dad to return home, in upstate NY.  I live in the south.  “Get your eyes checked, ASAP,” I remind him as we drive to the airport.  He leaves.  Tears roll down my eyes.

Life, after his visit, went on as usual for a few months.  My dad’s eye-check-up went well.  However, at his next eye-check-up, six months later, the doctor said he had to have an eye surgery.  The ophthalmologist operated on both his eyes to save his vision.  But, his vision did not return.

Life, for him, was in a dark place.  He managed traveling with help, and came to “see” his grand kids.  He kept his spirits up.  He laughed and told us jokes while we sat together at the dinner table.  I would let him know placement of food on his dinner plate – 12 o’clock was broccoli, 3 o’clock was bread, 6 o’clock chicken, and 9 o’clock potatoes, and so on.

Nine years had passed…  “I’m a busy man, you know.  My time flies, too.  I THINK – all day long!” My dad would say to us, smiling, when he felt that we were feeling bad for him.  My kids had grown older and taller;  my dad, older and weaker.  He continued living his life in peace, grace, and gratitude; and in deep darkness.  A positive man in his core; my dad lived with great strength. 

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Companionable.”

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