Isolated

There you are...nestled in a centuries-old structure
with walls so thick...enough to withstand a weather beating.

So safe...no fire can touch your papery bracts.

Your crimson pronouncements are not inhibited
as if to spite the lack of water.

The arid life suits you so well.

Many a brash being will think twice
before they try and disturb your peace with your proud thorns.

So...we leave you...be.

Pale Baby Pink Rose

Flower in Your Hair
It was the first thing that
caught my eye
the big pale baby pink rose
on your hair,
grounding the flowing white veil
that announced a hope
of a life rich in love,
ripe with meaning,
abundant with joy
and
friendship.
A hint, of first blush
that seemed to mark out
a new chapter
from the old to the new.
Your back was turned to
the old secure nest
as you bravely faced
the promise
of a new adventure.

Take the Time

Take the time...this summer...to stop...and smell...the flowers.


Read a book.
Have a picnic.
Tend your garden.
Spend time with your family.
Fly a kite.
Bike around your village.
Take a leisurely walk.
Walk your dog.
Swim.
Be still.
Pause.
Do nothing.
Sleep.
Pray. Reflect. Meditate.
Rest.
Recharge.

Everlasting

Photo by Mozart Pena on Flickr

It is said that my paternal grandmother was the first to make and sell straw flower garlands in Baguio. She was even featured in the old Mabuhay Magazine of the Philippine Airlines many decades ago. I have not heard any other story with such a claim.

She must have been smitten by the longevity of the flowers. Their imperishable quality and color integrity holds up long after they have been hung to dry.

Consider the everlasting. What would you like to last forever?

Simplicity is Key

"One of the most profound effects of inward simplicity is the rise of an amazing spirit of contentment. Gone is the need to strain and pull to get ahead. In rushes a glorious indifference to position, status, or possession. Living out of this wonderful Center causes all other concerns to fade into insignificance."

I find myself once again in the throes of Holy Week, the last week of Lent that is set aside for commemorating the last week of the earthly life of Jesus. People are in a frenzy getting to sea and airports, driving their vehicles to hometowns and various vacation spots. I don't want to be caught up in vacation mode and end it with just having had seen places of note, eaten their delicacies, and brought home trinkets and other such ephemera.

Not that i don't enjoy all those. I very much do. But more than the outward things, i want my inner landscape to have been refreshed, cleansed, deepened. To achieve simplicity is quite a complex process. Talk about the paradox of things.

It is easy to slip into going with the flow and taking the easy road. I must ensure quality time for much introspection and prayer. I need to distinguish between what is essential and what is not. A lot of self-discipline looms in the days to come. Already, this is becoming complex as i overly concern myself about it.

Note to self: simplify.

Happy Gardening

Green is in! I know a handful of people who have taken up growing their own vegetables -- with or without a track of land to claim as their own. The benefits are many.

You get to eat the fruit of your labors. You are sure what went in it. You are sure that they are organic and of the healthiest, freshest, sweetest kind. An appreciation for the bounty of nature goes notches higher. Not to mention the hard work that goes into every produce you come across.

There is also the deeper and more meaningful aspect of getting in touch with the seasons and phases of each plant. Growing them from seed to harvest and back makes us more patient.

If plants were people...how we treat each other will determine how we all flourish in this earth garden. We can either leave each other to wilt or be choked by challenging weeds. We could get nourishment from the friendships we provide for each other and be affirming and encouraging with tender words.

We could be patient with late bloomers, bear with each other's thorns, deal with the infestation of pests that make our relationships wither and die. And provide ourselves with a safe and secure environment to bear fruit and blossom.

Nature heals. Nurture heals.

Refreshed

What a sense of renewal one can have as we transcend perceptions, boundaries, and differences. When human interaction is oiled by grace and understanding, beautiful experiences abound.

Over the weekend i had one such opportunity to mingle closely with people of various backgrounds, origin, and ethnicity. There was so much goodwill, and and as they verbalized -- good vibes. The hugs conveyed an essence of basic goodness and acceptance.

This is a good tee-up for reflecting on how i could improve my person-to-person connection in my sphere of things.

Oh That We Be Like the Lotus Flower

Took this picture of a lotus flower when we were doing an ocular inspection of a camp venue. There is something so remarkable about it that captures my attention. It rises so elegantly dressed in loveliest pink, as if ready to walk down the red carpet of Hollywood fame. But its stage is not posh and glamour but the dark murky waters of ponds and lakes. There the flowers emerge untainted by the mud from whence it came.

In Buddhist and Hindu sacred poetry, the lotus is a perfect embodiment of the soul, that managed to rise above the murkiness of worldly entanglements, fully transcending all forms of attachment, blooming into something pure, free, and vibrant.