STANDING IN AWE OF LIFE AND EVERYTHING IN IT

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Back at my laptop again after an early morning's walk.😍
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This morning's walk took about 30 minutes around the village up and down the mountain.... seeing green trees swaying to a mild refreshing breeze .... hearing the chorus of chirping birds, roosters crowing, and dogs barking their morning greetings.... and walking the streets that has seen its good days and bad (so much like life aye?). Of course couldn't ignore the flowers blooming their brightest from several gardens in the neighborhood. Each looking like new everytime I pass through the place. Amazing! Everything under a huge canopy of spotless blue skies. The bluest of blue -- it never fails to take my breath away.
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And ... rounding the bend I come across my good neighbor who lives about three houses away from my house. Probably in his eighties and a really kind friendly person. We chatted though but briefly as I had to take my leave to finish my walk while he was already at the tail-end of his.
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It is in moments like this that you stand in awe of the total tapestry of life. The birth of new plants and buds .. and the decay and withering away in its own allotted time. Everything is and has its own place and time. Same way in the world of humans.
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Everything in its whole and in its every nitty-bitty detail points to a magnificent Creator. One who is aware of our comings and goings. One who is constantly there for us. Who continually loves us, sinner or saint, unconditionally.
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Yup, and that includes the gorgeous smile of AJ as  he saw me coming in through the front door.😍
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Have a great and blessed day, friends. Pay kindness forward. The world needs plenty of that. God bless you.

POTENTIALS DO NOT DEFINE US. HOW WE RESPOND TO IT DOES.

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Good morning, world!

Well, I woke up about seven this morning and looked out the window and saw Mr. Sun being blocked by heavy gray clouds from shining its best; it still isn't too hot for a walk and I thought 'hey, I could still get my morning walk!'. So I hastily dressed into my walking gear and just as hastily sped out the door. Because gray clouds mean some rain, right? So got to hurry before it does finally pour.

But out on the street I made myself slow down because it was just a lovely morning to start with, threat of rain notwithstanding. Slight breeze, soft sun with its rays peeping behind the clouds whenever it could and bouncing off the trees and plants, and flowers blooming seemingly enjoying a respite from the harsh heat of a regular hot day. Yeah, we have the gray clouds to thank for this time. ('Took pictures of those flowers; couldn't help it cos they were simply gorgeous!)

Back in the house I got into the routine of the morning... sweeping the floor (I sure got a good mound of dog hair and cat hair: that's what you get with pets in the house), dusting the furniture, putting things in order, after which settling down for the day's news on TV. No, I don't stick to one station, local or foreign. Each has his own good and bad in delivering the news.

With the news over I turned to other stations and found this one playing my favorite movie "Patch Adams" starring Robin Williams playing the role of one studying to be a doctor. It's a good movie, good script. In fact, I remember these outstanding lines from the movie.......

"Patients don't need a friend; they need a doctor."

"When a doctor gets emotionally involved with a patient, what's wrong with that?!"

"Let us fight the most terrible disease of all..... indifference!"

"We're all dying, our job is to increase health."
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But one line which stood out above the rest was this......
"THINK POTENTIAL."

Why? Because, I think, practically everything which comes to us good or bad has 'potential' built in it. I don't know but somebody up there when He created us probably thought that we would be needing it in our journey down life's road. 

Potential, as the dictionary defines it, is: possibilities - prospects - promise - unrealized abilities or capacity for future success.

That's a good thing, isn't it?

It's a good thing when life's bad does not stay bad, right?. That can mean life's situations, circumstances, fortune or misfortune, tough luck, and that also includes people who-may-not-be-your-kind-of-people -- may somehow turn into something better which probably might surprise even yourself!

That can happen. But ......that also would depend on you.

Right, because potential, in yourself or in others, happens when you want it to happen. It won't if you won't let it. You, therefore, can become the hand that would bring about this desired change. The choice is yours.

Remember, potentials do not define us. Not really. How we respond to it.. does!

 

 

 

BE STRONG TO LIVE LIFE

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Do you know why I love my early morning walks? It's because I get to know more about life through it. Oh of course there are also the books... but sometimes out there one gets a lot more of stuff that feeds the mind, heart, and soul. Oh sure, some would say there's nothing special there but ordinary normal mundane puny lives and living. Well, if you stop awhile to think --- our lives, none exempted, are nothing but ordinary puny lives. We eat, work, play, sleep, hurt, cry, laugh, hate, and all the other things found on the emotional scale. And we do this over and over, again and again from sunrise to sundown.
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Like these three middle-aged ladies I saw outside the gate of a nice house. Ordinary people in an ordinary neighborhood living ordinary lives. One was looking so bored, another looked flustered, and the other couldn't quite decide what to do. And their conversation, in loud ordinary voices which is the trademark of Pinoys huddled in an invigorating conversation, male or female.... trailed down inescapably to my ears. Yup, you guessed right... my radar was tuned-in on the trio. My radar, as you must already know by now, is primed to zero-in on new learning, observation, information, insight, and awesomeness of both living and non-living things... no matter its size, race, color, or creed. What they said caught my attention. To catch more of their chat I stopped, bent down and pretended to tie my shoelaces (both shoes). Kinda lame don't you think? But they were quite oblivious to me. So there!
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Lady#1:      "Hhaayy... Wala na bang maibibigay sa atin ng buhay kundi puro problema?" --- (Can't life give us something else other than problems?)
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Lady#2:      "Umasa ka pa! Walang alam pang iba ang buhay kundi ang tambakan tayo ng problema. Heto katatapos lang ng isa... may bago na naman." --- "You kidding me?! Problems are all that life can offer us. One problem finishes.... another crops up!"
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Lady#3:     "Kayo naman! Hindi naman siguro ganyan. Nakatutok lang kayo kasi sa problema." --- (C'mon, can't be that bad. You're focusing only on problems.)
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Ladies#1&#2:     "May bago ba!?!"  --- (So what else is new!?!)
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At that point I didn't wait to hear the reply because I was there long enough and might get noticed by them, so decided to move along.
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But what I gathered from their chat made me think.............
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Is that all there is to life really? Problems?
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Looking back at my own life journey I can say that yes I too have had my share... and new ones do crop up now and then. But that's the same with everybody else.. And problems come in different sizes.. shapes.. color.. and in varying degrees of intensity, force, or severity... rising from a diversity of causes or reasons. It will make you cry.. or anger you.. can be so frustrating, disappointing, irritating.. can arouse depression, self-pity, anxiety, hopelessness, fear, sadness, confusion.. and some seemingly mean and cruel will bash you to the ground utterly defeated. Or so it seems.
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But life does not stop there. Nor does it end there.
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You are here. I am here. Problems notwithstanding. What does that tell us?
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Life may be tough....... but people are tougher.

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By God's design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A MORNING'S WALK - PLUS ONE CHALLENGE

It's the usual morning walk but this time with a difference.  I decided to climb higher up the hill! Yes, I knew that the slopes could and would be mighty steep and the roads not in tip-top shape unlike those on the ground..... but sometimes you just have to be foolishly in love with Mother Nature to do the silly thing other people my age wouldn't do. :-)

And so, on with the morning walk and climb............... 

 

 The first trek up the hill. Oh no, this isn't a deserted place. It's a subdivision (you know that already) but situated by the side of a mountain... or a hill... whatever. 

 

See the lady there sweeping the front of her home. She does that every morning everyday. And so do her neighbors.  Rounding that bend there will take me to the next incline up the hill.

  

The thick mass of trees on the right is a forest conservation area.  You can hear a chorus of birds with their usual morning concerto. They never miss a note. Music to the ears!

 

Dark?  The sun hasn't filtered through the trees yet. It's biding its time coming out from behind the other side of the mountain. No worries; residential houses line the street on the left. They're up early ... in fact I could smell the hot dogs and sausages being prepared for their school kids' breakfast. :-) 

  

That looks flat to you??  On the contrary. That is quite steep... STEEP!  So I had to move slow. This was when I thought --- a wooden staff would be helpful this time as it would serve as my third leg. To aid my legs which felt like crumbling under this ordeal.  Almost made me think -- 'what was I thinking... going up the hill!?!!' Aaarrgghhh.... !!!

 

Nearing the top now.... Was I thankful to be in my rubbers as each step was  a sure needed grip on that steep slope.  Was very careful because of the many dry leaves, some decaying and could be slippery, spread out on the road like carpet. heheheh..... :-)

  

Made it!! And that tree there seemed to be smiling at me with --- 'Congratulations, kiddo! Welcome to the top of the hill!'  :-) 

  

And so did the sun say 'Good job!' as it shone brightly through the trees. :-)

  

And I got more than I had hoped for ---  all these wonderful gorgeous flowers!  Words not enough to describe each one of them in all of their beauty and glory!! :-) ... :-)  I may not know their names, except for the famous ones, but it doesn't matter now.  Sufficient to say that nothing would or could ever compare to any of them as they showed off their most brilliant Mother-Nature-signature-smiles. My cup overflowed with joy and delight just looking at them! :-)

 

  

Well, after having had my fill and a wonderful time spent with Mother Nature...   I decided it was time to head back down the hill.   That again may look flat and level to you ... but that is a steep slope going down!!  I had to be extra careful lest I slide or roll down and end up with bashed bones and crushed ego!  The pull of gravity downwards is much more felt on a very steep slope such as this. Negotiating that slope can be quite tricky for a little ole lady like this one... heheheh :-) :-)

  

Whew!! Finally, back on ground level. 

  

And getting hot as the sun was now inching its way higher up to the skies.

  

A couple of blocks more to go and I'm Home!  This was such a lovely early morning walk!!!  :-) :-)

A lovely blessing from on high. Thank you!

 

 

A FAMILY IS NEVER PERFECT - BUT IS GOD'S PERFECT GIFT TO US

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Just got back from my early morning walk. Actually, it's already 8morning now and I consider that quite late for a morning walk. The Philippine sun is already out from behind the mountains of Antipolo which does not entirely contribute to a comfortable cool walk around the village. Plus the fact that the village dogs are already out on the streets also getting their morning exercise.... vocals and paws. Maybe next time I will have Scruffy my pet dog along to ward off these pesky four-legged bullies. Now that seems to be a good idea!
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This weekend that passed was spent in the lovely home of my daughter and her husband. It was a pleasant stay made so by the couple ... the loves of my life. Another love (youngest daughter) was there with me and another love (oldest daughter) stayed home with the pets and a much deserved me time. That is smart. We all do need ‘me- time’. I do. Yes, four loves of my life. My family.
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Old folks say that you can’t choose your family. Some families tell of dysfunction within the home which cause so much pain and heartache to its members. Others add to say that you only get the family you deserve. That could perhaps also be true. Everybody is a story and has a story for us to listen to – tales of happiness and woe. And, life being what it is, shall continue to send us lessons for our learning. Much of these lessons are learned in the home with family.
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Mother said these long ago….......... ‘A family is not perfect. It never is. Because each one (in it) is a different person... of different temperament... is shaped by its own acquired set of experiences- insights- perceptions… with his or her own good and bad… traveling his or her own road… and creating his or her own life story. In the natural nurturing order of things, they will expand or develop and in that process increase becoming finally their own person.... one day by Divine design.’
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Now we know why God created families. It is the perfect environment for growth and the only thing that can bring this about is … love.  Where else in this big wide world can this great love be found... but with and in the family.  It's the greatest love of all. Truly God's perfect gift.
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God bless all the families in the world!

 

 

 

IT'S TO NEVER GIVE UP

My neighborhood nestles on the slopes of a mountain.. the Sierra Madre this side of Rizal. So the paths I walk through are never level or straight. It goes up-down and winding round you'll find yourself ending up where you started.This morning as I leisurely walked up a long slope (one of several) I saw this tall slim middle aged guy several meters up ahead running down-and-then-running up again which looked like his own version of exercise. But before I could get to where he was he ended his exercise and went inside the house. Then perhaps would feast on a huge hearty breakfast his wife would have prepared for him! Which seemed unlikely though because when I went past his house it was so quiet and none of the usual aroma of food cooking up in the air (Kidding, of course!)

The neighborhood streets are named after birds. There's Robin, Swallow, Nightingale, Oriole, etc. Really not surprising as the area is a delightful haven for different sorts of birds. In fact, they keep me company on my early morning walks flitting here and there... from tree to tree... or hopping on down on the street pecking on crumbs. All amidst the chorus of tweets and chirps... a full choral ensemble when you get higher up the slopes to dense trees lining up the streets. I remember when I was a kid my father who loved hunting with his friends in the thick forests of Zambales would talk about the birds they saw and one was the Golden Oriole. He loved talking about this particular one; I guess he loved the color yellow. Funny that I would one day years after live on a street named after that bird!

On my way back to the house, I saw this woman brown-complexioned, sun-burned wiry hair, maybe in her forties who from the opposite direction walked hurriedly past me in her weather-beaten flip-flops. But it was not her which grabbed my attention.... it was her worn-out t-shirt and the words emblazoned on it .... Never Give Up.

Never give up! A thought which lingered on my mind as I saw an old man limping on a bad leg but still walking out to the main road..... and this frail young girl in a worn-out dress which saw better days standing in front of her old broken down house holding a new born baby in her arms (bathing in the morning sun) humming softly --- 'okay lang, anak, okay lang...' (It's okay, child, it's okay....) Can you imagine what those words could mean? It could mean a lot of things. But I felt the challenge of life in those words. When I heard it as I walked past them it almost brought a tear to my eye.

So many like them out there in the world battling a problem or some other huge serious concern. But they hold on with every strength or courage they could muster, maybe tired and weary - beaten and worn, but they never give up. No matter how many times they fall they get back up again and fight harder than before... even much harder. One courageous step at a time, one moment to another, one day to the next. I know ... because I had my share of battles too.

Never give up. It should be worth it. It is worth it.
Life is beautiful. Blessings where you allow yourself to see them.

Hope you're all having a good and blessed week. Blessings to you all.
(The Golden Oriole in the photo)

WHAT AN EARLY MORNING WALK DOES TO ME

 

I walk through scenery similar to these in my early morning walks in my neighborhood. The tree-lined paths are my favorite. Morning walks are not only beneficial to health as widely prescribed to but undoubtedly do far more than that. It's not just the fresh morning breeze, the sight of the bluest of skies, the lush greenery, or the friendly smiles of neighbors you meet down the road which give you a great feeling of being one with the world, with the day, with life. And not only does it flush out stubborn calories but also toxic negativity trying its best to establish residence in your soul.

It's just thirty minutes sometimes an hour but the best time of the day for me. Here I throw away all worries and cares and woes to the wide expanse of the blue yonder and nothing else seems able to touch me or even try. My mind stronger and free gets back its clarity and ability to see beauty, good, awesomeness, creation .. and my soul is restored.

I walk through streets some paved some graveled but I understand how it resonates with what life is all about --- highs and lows, smooth and rough, good and bad, the regularities and the irregularities. Neither do high walls nor thick fences succeed to block my seeing through to the houses and the people living within its walls as I understand how so much we are all the same in both life and in living. We stand connected to one another in our basic similarities and even in our differences. And that no matter how much you would choose to ignore this it always gets us back to this quintessential wisdom -- we are the same.

Everything seems to fall in place, in perfect unison to a divine plan. Even my morning walk is part of that plan if its design is to make me grow more and more towards becoming a better person. I feel it being achieved as I walk uphill, downhill, round corners, and straight down the roads as creation unfolds before me in every smallest detail or its biggest displaying in full grandeur or magnificence every treasure I am made to gather with my soul.

When I finally arrive back to my house and before I enter the door, I look back and up to the sky and see in my mind a smiling God content to see that I have learned. I guess it's not just with the early morning walk but it's something which I understand I should be doing with the rest of life and living. Thank you, God!