Time – Just Like a Flowing River

. . . Transition of colors during Sunset . . .

or perhaps, in life as well…!

I liked the book “Like the Flowing River” by Paulo Coelho, which I read around three years back. Today, I want to share something by the same author. Learn and enjoy!

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“A river never passes the same place twice,” says a philosopher. “Life is like a river,” says another philosopher, and we draw the conclusion that this is the metaphor that comes closest to the meaning of life. Consequently, it is always good to remember during all the year to come:

A] We are always doing things for the first time. While we move between our source (birth) to our destination (death), the landscape will always be new. We should face these novelties with joy, not with fear – because it is useless to fear what cannot be avoided. A river never stops running.

B] In a valley we walk slower. When everything around us becomes easier, the waters grow calm, we become more open, fuller and more generous.

C] Our banks are always fertile. Vegetation only grows where there is water. Whoever comes into contact with us needs to understand that we are there to give the thirsty something to drink.

D] Stones should be avoided. It is obvious that water is stronger than granite, but it takes time for this to happen. It is no good letting yourself be overcome by stronger obstacles, or trying to fight against them – that is a useless waste of energy. It is best to understand where the way out is, and then move forward.

E] Hollows call for patience. All of a sudden the river enters a sort of hole and stops running as joyfully as before. At such moments the only way out is to count on the help of time. When the right moment comes the hollow fills up and the water can flow ahead. In the place of the ugly, lifeless hole there now stands a lake that others can contemplate with joy.

Source: Paulo Coelho’s Blog

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P.S.

Date of photography: March 3, 2012

Just Do Your Work and Keep Walking. Keep living.

“Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana – You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of actions.”

~ BHAGAVAD GITA

Even when the times are tough, keep the spirit of living alive. You will come out shining!

“It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.”
~ Dalai Lama

Good day to you.

P.S. I guess by now you must have figured out what is in the picture, haven’t you?
I took this photo (including the header pic) when I was back at home in Himalayas.
It was so much fun writing this post, really. And giving it a special meaning made me even more joyful. Also, the editing (inverting colors and B&W) was fun too.

Hope you enjoyed it too!

Slightly Silhouetted at Sunset in a “River” Style

I’m in love with the Golden color! I’m seeing it everywhere- in my laptop, around me, in the morning, in the evening, in people, ….. Hehehe. And if you have not noticed, I have changed my blog links to a golden shade (Twenty Eleven does that too!), and the main header is in a similar shade as well.

Here is more gold along with golden quotations.

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“Pure gold does not fear furnace”
~ Chinese Proverbs

“Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth,
but by washing away from it all that is not gold.”
~ Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

“Stories are like fairy gold, the more you give away, the more you have.”

Have a day with golden moments!

More “goldens” at Life Just is -

 Golden Reflection Framed by Himalayan Pines
Golden Temple – Harmandir Sahib
 Golden Touches at the End of a Rainy Day
Going Golden :)
Golden-Blue Sunrise behind Coconut Trees

“My master and I – Boredom” by Paulo Coelho

This article relates to a topic or shall I say a word which I have mentioned in my “About Me” section. How could I have not shared this? 

Hey, do yourself a favour. Give it a read.

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Boredom is a Pattern, not a Reality

We are sitting in a garden in a French town.
– Deep down, people complain, but they love routines – I said.
– Of course, and the reason is very simple: routines give them the false sensation of being safe. Thus, today will be exactly like yesterday, and tomorrow will bring no surprises. When night falls, part of the soul complains that nothing different was experienced, but another part is content – paradoxically, it is for the same reason.
“Evidently this safety is completely false; no one can control anything, and a change always appears at the moment one least expects it, taking us by surprise and with no chance to react or fight.

– If we are free to decide that we want a uniform life, why does God force us to change it?
– What is reality? It is that which we imagine it to be. If many people “think” that the world is like this or like that, everything around us crystallizes, and nothing changes for some time. However, life is a constant evolution – social, political, spiritual, on whatever level it may be. In order for things to evolve, it is necessary for people to change. As we are all interlinked, sometimes destiny gives those hindering evolution a push.

– Generally in a tragic way…
– Tragedy depends on the way you see it. If you chose to be a victim of the world, anything which happens to you will feed that dark side of your soul, where you consider yourself wronged, suffering, guilty and deserving punishment. If you choose to be an adventurer, the changes – even the inevitable losses, since everything in this world changes – can cause some pain, but will soon thrust you forward, forcing you to react.
“In many oral traditions, wisdom is represented by a temple, with two columns at its entrance: these two columns always have names of opposite things, but in order to illustrate what I mean, we will call one Fear and the other Desire. When a man stands at this entrance, he looks at the column of Fear and thinks: “my God, what will I find further ahead?” Then he looks at the column of Desire and thinks: “my God, I’m so accustomed to that which I have, I wish to continue living as I have always lived.” And he remains still; this is what we call tedium.

– Tedium is…
– Movement which ceases. Instinctively, we know we are wrong, and we revolt. We complain to our husbands, wives, children, neighbors. But, on the other hand, we know that tedium and routine are safe havens.

– Can a person remain his whole life in this situation?
– He can be pushed by life, but resist and remain there, always complaining – and his suffering will be useless, will teach him nothing.
“Yes, a person can stand for the rest of his days facing one of the many doors he should go through, but he must understand that he has only truly lived up to that point. He may continue to breathe, walk, sleep and eat – but with less and less pleasure, because he is already spiritually dead and does not know it.
“Until one day when, as well as his spiritual death, physical death appears; at that moment God will ask: “what did you do with your life?” We must all answer this question, and woe betide those who answer: “I remained standing at the door.”

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Original article can be found at: Paulo Coelho’s Blog-

http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2012/03/03/boredom/

I have read almost 60 percent of his writings. Great reads, all of them.

PS.
The photograph has nothing to do with this post. I just liked it for its colors, and have shared it before in one of my July posts.

A Wind Chime Tree

Tuning in to the sounds of the mountain winds… Incredible and never-ending!

Music has no language
Music goes beyond the borders
Music brings joy in the sadness
Music has the whole world in it…

Have a musical day! 

Nature’s Symmetry

I took these shots on the first day of 2012. I went with my family and friends for a picnic in the wild up on the mountain. What a fun day it was! The mountains around me have a lot to offer if one can see it.

Curry leaves (kadi patta) in the wild -

I don’t know what these are but they were totally fascinating. As if someone opened the two petals and stole something What do you think?

Nature’s symmetry: it is all around us. Even us!

Man is not himself only…He is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources…He is the land, the lift of its mountain lines, the reach of its valleys.  -Mary Austin

Yay! The Rose Survived

Yay! The Rose Survived

(…in continuation with my post – Snow & Rose: Yesterday & Today)

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The usual life: The rose was a little uncomfortable that day, as if its intuition was trying to tell something, something full of coldness. But it have always known to be strong, content and happy, so it just kept calm and soaked the beauty of the mountains and smiled. And the others who looked at it also smiled with the rose. Smile is infectious

But then very soon, the situations got worse making the rose tremble and feel that soon it might no more be a part of this plant which have been its home since it remembers. It was hard to cope but then the rose decided to just let it be. The only feeling left was “hope”. The rose kept its hope alive.

The rose endured the unexpected and difficult situation it was in, through day and night, and kept praying for more strength. And then when it was least expecting it, its prayers got answered, as unexpectedly as the snow had arrived. It eventually got the sunshine. The rose smiled more than ever. Cheerfully it looked around: the nature was applauding it for the strength it had shown, showering it with its beauty and warm feelings. The rose had got few bruises and wounds, but it didn’t matter much, since it had survived: It was alive!

Here, have a look  

Himalayan Snowfall (Part II) – Landscapes & Trees

I really hope you are enjoying my part of the world and that too covered in the snow. The snowfall happened just for one day (not that it was not enough, it was!) Being content is peaceful and great. Anyways. Snow fell twice that day followed by the rain which eventually melted the snow, and by evening most of the ground snow was chilled water, except for the snow up high on the mountains. But I did capture the beauty in my eyes and thankfully, in my camera. I wished then that my camera could do more justice with the fantastic views my eyes were seeing. But, anyways.

Happiness consists not in having much, but in being content with little. ~Marguerite Gardiner

 

So, here is the second photo collection from the same day. Enjoy.  …………………………………..

The second snowfall of the Day -

Can you see the flakes?

  

Poor trees

 

By afternoon, it was cheerful bright and a little colorful as well. As I said, a treat to my eyes.

Village down the hill -

It just got prettier and prettier

Snow in the fields – (Can you see the river flowing past the fields?)

Foggy and snowy towers. To see their monsoon version, click here – Foggy Towers.

Rain washed away the snow on the leaves

Clouds deceiving the half of the mountain. Nature’s play on a cold chilly day.

View in the evening

This was the best I could achieve with shaky hands while fighting the freezing winds along with the slight rain. Surely, I had a fun little adventure of my own. Thanks to Mum for accompanying me on this “photography” walk and holding the umbrella while I took photos. She is the sweetest heart.

Hope you enjoyed…

Cheers to winters. Stay warm!

The Light and the Shadows

“An optimist is a person who sees only the lights in the picture, whereas a pessimist sees only the shadows. An idealist, however, is one who sees the light and the shadows, but in addition sees something else: the possibility of changing the picture, of making the lights prevail over the shadows.”
~ Felix Adler

 

Whenever there will be light, shadows will certainly follow. Neither can go while the other stays. Accept that. Understand that. I wish that your new year is full of light and may you have the strength (and love) to deal with the shadows. [I too heartily accepted this ...just... while writing this post..!]

Good wishes to you.

. . . Only Listening . . .

I was feeling very lonely (by PAULO COELHO) [Link here]

I was feeling very lonely when I left Mass in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral right in the heart of New York.

Suddenly I was approached by a Brazilian:

“I very much need to talk to you,” he said.

I was so enthused by this meeting that I began to talk about everything that was important to me. I spoke of magic, God’s blessings, love. He listened to everything in silence, thanked me and went away.

Instead of feeling happy, I felt lonelier than before. Later on I realized that in my enthusiasm I had not paid any attention to what that Brazilian wanted.

Talk to me.

I tossed my words to the wind, because that was not what the Universe was wanting at that moment: I would have been much more useful if I had listened to what he had to say.

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It’s always good to share, right! :D

Goodbye for today.