LIFE, THINGS, AND THE WORLD -- BETTER SEEN WITH THE EYES OF THE HEART

   

    

    

  

Good morning, world 😊

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Up early and out the door before 7:00am for my morning walk. And Lo! just who greets me with a gorgeous smile ----- Mr. Sun! Though shyly yet as he wasn't fully up and out from behind the mountains.

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I have seen many sunrises and sunsets in my life and you might think that I have become quite jaded and tired by the same-old-song being played, so to speak.

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But no. Not happening. And you know why? Because sometimes it is really not what you are looking at... but how you see it which tells you a different story each time. Made interesting each time.

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It's like....

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Looking at your husband or wife day in and day out. Same old face, same old habits and mannerisms, same old nagging makulit, same old everything. But you stay there rooted to the floor, sometimes wondering. Two things. It's either you wonder just how you got this 'monster' .... or you thank God you found this 'angel'.

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Those thoughts ripple through your mind each day, and you wrestle with it everytime. Until finally you get to learn and understand .. (maybe some divine intervention happened somewhere there for your learning).. that this person is your life, this person is not unlike you, and that this person is there for a reason.

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Something happens in your heart. Change - you become kinder, patient, forgiving, tolerant, understanding, considerate, appreciative, amazed, awed, perhaps thankful too. This change makes you look at the person, at yourself, at your life .. differently. It opens new doors you never dreamed or thought would.

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When you stop - look - listen to the prodding in your heart, you open yourself to miracles happening everyday.

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it's the same thing when you look at people.... nature.... things.... experiences.... and the big wide world outside. It's better seen with the eyes of the heart.

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That's how my seeing the same old sunrise every morning is renewed everyday.

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And these flowers and plants adorning the path I travel three or four times a week have been there for a long time now. But they look just as gorgeous as the first day I saw them. Sometimes so much more. Thank God for these beauties.

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EVERYTHING IN LIFE WILL PASS TOO

 

 

 

Started early today with my morning walk. When I looked up to the sky, I saw that it was the least inviting... overcast, cloudy, a bit moody and all that. But I had to have my walk, so thus commanded my feet to get moving quick! Not a very long walk this time though because I was a bit worried that it might suddenly rain and certainly wouldn't want to get caught in that. 

The neighborhood looked the same.. but who knows really! Much is happening in Mother Nature's wonderful world by the minute-by the hour. Birth.. growth... and decline. So much like the human world and existence, too. Not many familiar faces out on the streets now. I guess the weather has something to do with that.

So finally got back to my house, but before I could take off my walking gear.... a strong wind blew, rattled the treetops, hinawi ang mga ulap, and out came the sun!! Shining brightly! Oh yeah, Mother Nature knows how to play jokes, too, doesn't she!? This one she played on me! 

Well, I missed out on my morning sun... but I got my morning walk still. Beautiful pleasant day to start with! Despite the initial bump to it.

There's a balance of good and bad in life. Certainly we get affected by that. Delighted are we when in the midst of misery suddenly some piece of glad tidings glide in. On the other hand, it crushes us when our happiness gets its shower of bad news unexpectedly.

An old friend said this long ago..... "When that happens, you only have to ride the wind... go with the flow... because it will pass. Both the good and the bad. In whatever degree it will affect you it will pass. Still."

I guess that was what Mother Nature was trying to say to me this morning. But I also know this --- that even on a cloudy day the blue sky is still there. Right, Mother Nature? Lesson learned.... and thanks!

P.S. Just now I looked out my window...... and a gorgeous lovely blue sky I see! 

THERE IS BEAUTY IN DIVERSITY

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This morning went out for my usual early morning walk. As I was rounding the block and aiming for the hill... the rains came tumbling down! Ohhh.. there goes my early morning walk, I thought as I soft-jogged my way back to the house. And just when I was already in my house dress Mr. Sun came bursting out from behind the gray clouds shining brilliantly like he was enjoying the big joke he threw at me just a few minutes ago! Oh well.. !!

Yesterday's .morning walk was such a delight though. You would probably be thinking that walking these same roads, neighborhood, and hill repeatedly for so long now would have exhausted everything there was to see.

Maybe... or maybe not.

Things may look the same but not really.

Movement, Change, Birth. Growth. Decline.

Of such are the things of the earth and of life.

If you do not pay close attention, you will certainly miss its beauty, wonder, joy..... or miss to be awesomely amazed by it all.

Like this plant I saw up the hill.... a huge leaf standing tall and erect with its glistening young green color seemed to greet me with a huge "Hi five!!". And I hi-5'd back at it, grinning. Buti na lang walang tao sa kalye! :-D (Luckily there was nobody around that time of day!)

Not far from it stood this gorgeous flower ...once a shy tiny bud now proudly showing off its dazzling brilliant color in full bloom. Movement and change. It lends fresh color to the world.

Farther up ahead, I saw (again) this cluster of huge mushrooms (remember my post several months ago on the same mushrooms as large as my shoe?) ...but this time several have grown black in color (decline)... as new fresh ones sprouted nearby (birth).

Round the corner up ahead bloomed Birds of Paradise (thanks IC Guerrero for the name) standing proudly in a cluster, too, on the shoulder of the road. Birds of the same feather flock together, aye!? Just like humans do.

Then a handsome dog caught my eye as I continued up the hill. It appeared shut out of his human's home as he stood patiently waiting outside the gate hoping that somebody would open it and let him in. Just a thought here, if you can't take good care of your pets... don't get one. Don't even think about owning one. Because having a pet in your home is having another member added to your family. Be responsible for it. Love it like you would your child. My family has four dogs and eight cats. By the way, the word dog spelled backwards is God. It's just a reminder that nothing in God's creation is insignificant. Everything is .. for a reason. That means animals, too.

As I forced myself to walk past it (with a heavy heart), I came upon a middle-aged lady who was sweeping that part of the street fronting her house. When she saw me approaching she smiled a pleasant "Good morning!" That took the gloom out of my heart as I smiled back at her and moved on bouncing happily in my steps. Be generous with smiles; it can do wonderful things.

Walking downhill I saw a friendly neighbor who had a small bonfire going by the side of the road and under his fruits trees (several more I could see in his yard). I stopped to say hello. With a wide grin he said "Di ka talaga pumapalya noh?!" (You don't really miss your morning walks aye?!) I smiled even more with "Pwera lang kung umulan." (Except when it rains.) Stayed a few minutes more to admire his fruit trees now bearing fruits to which he said I was welcome to it anytime I wished so. Friends are the true treasures of a neighborhood, a community, a town or city, a country or of the world. They add to the spice of life and living with their own individual brand of uniqueness and with their blessed contribution to humanity.

As I neared my block and was just a few houses away from home ... I noticed the lush greenery outside a neighbor's gate. But these two particular bushes ... each different from the other in color and shape.... and yet sharing the same air, soil, and space stood side by side. Together. Happily. Humans can learn something from that.

There is beauty in diversity.

Have a lovely day and week. God bless you!

  

 

 

 

 

  

IN THE TURBULENT WATERS OF OUR LIVES

 

 

 

 

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I was on the first leg of my early morning walk and was passing through the main street of our village. On the fifth house from the corner stood a middle-aged lady just looking out into nothing (as she appeared to be) from her house gate. When I got nearer I give out a morning greeting.
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She smiled and said "Tinanghali ka ngayon ah." (You're up late this time) .Hmmm... I guess I have become a familiar person in the neighborhood with my morning walks.
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I smiled back and replied with "Napasarap ng tulog kasi eh." (I overslept)
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"Buti ka pa di ka nababagot sa araw mo." she countered with apparent exasperation. (Good for you not bored with your day)
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I was surprised by that remark because we weren't close friends and yet she says something quite personal like that. I believe it's something only shared with friends. Quickly I snapped out of my surprise and said....
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"Minsan dumarating din yan sa akin. Pero nilalakad ko na lang yan." and smiled even more. (It comes to me, too, but I work it out with a good walk)
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She looked at me with disbelief and mumbled glumly.. "Sana ganun din ako." (Wish I was that, too.)
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Well, I won't go further into that encounter. It's enough that I tried to make a respectful exit and resumed my morning walk. As she too turned back into her house with her mood apparently unchanged.
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But it made me think........
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The lady depicted very well that part of our lives which we don't really want to talk about nor put out up front for everybody to see. It's that part of our mundane lives in which we come face to face with --- The turbulent waters of life and living.
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weariness, ennui, apathy, unconcern; frustration, dissatisfaction, restlessness, restiveness, lethargy, lassitude; tedium, dullness, monotony, repetitiveness, flatness, dreariness; informal deadliness, boredom, exasperation, dissolution, confusion, failure.
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It's known to self but not to others. Sometimes though it slips out, like it did with the lady I met.
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But we try to cope with all that with what we know... with our habits, acquired skills and resources, insights and knowledge, beliefs and faith. Others would resort to temporal measures or relief.... with alcohol, smoking, drugs, extreme activities, or seclusion. Some would go on further by putting up a ---- mask, facade, wall, cover and pretense ----- all meant to deflect attention away from their inner turmoil or misery. We tend to hide our tears, most times.
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Everybody does his or her thing when life is the subject. It's ups and downs are dealt with according to what one knows, have learned, or was taught.
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I have learned that when the negatives of the day or life assail you -------- you can either bawl your heart out or bang your head on the wall or vent it all out on family and close friends...... or ..... stop everything, be still, and know there is a God!.
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God bless you with peace, love, joy, and faith.

WORRYING WON'T TAKE YOU UP THE MOUNTAIN

 

 

  

One of the nicest things about early morning walks is the chance to watch the day unfold. Trees seem to look greener, flowers brighter, animals on the street light and cheery chasing each other on the paved streets, and people... Well, people are a good mix of both great and not so great. I get a good feed of both in that morning walk.
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Great disarming smiles come from people who have learned how to make peace with the world and life. Wan smiles come from people who are not there in the moment. Their thoughts, as a friend once said to me, may be on some worry or care, mostly of yesterdays, which they can't shake off or won't because it's their comfort zone. Can you believe that? Worry as a comfort zone? Perhaps they think that worrying is the thing to do. And that NOT worrying makes them LESS responsible or efficient.
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Well, when worrying tries to mess up my day, I turn to this verse.....
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Matthew 6:25-27 -- “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"
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Peace, as God has promised us.
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The absence of worry, as life has taught me, enables you to have a clear clean field to sort out issues with. It affords true discernment as to what is important and what is not. Then you can decide better what to do with it without the unnecessary fuss and flurry which usually accompanies stress and anxiety which in turn clouds the brain. That, in all good reason, is the responsible and efficient way of dealing with issues, problems, cares and woes. As a good friend once said, "Worry makes me lose sight of my goal. Makes it harder to climb the mountain."
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True, people can't help worrying. Worry, as seen to be, has its uses too. But don't overdo it. It's a struggle not to worry, I know. A habit hard to shake off; worry warts abound. I struggle with that, too. But be kind to yourself and save yourself frequent trips to the doctor, too.
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You might miss God's blessings if all you do is fill your mind and heart with anxiety. Free space for awesome blessings to come in!

Further, life is beautiful; you might be missing that too when all that you do is worry.

Wishing God's bountiful blessings upon you and yours.

LIFE CANNOT BE LIFE WITHOUT PEOPLE IN IT

I was on my way down the hill at the tail-end of my morning walk when this silver-haired gentleman-foreigner heading my way from the opposite direction on seeing me slowed down and greeted me with a huge friendly smile and a question... "How many times do you go round the neighborhood?" I replied "Twice, most times." To this he smiled even more and said.. "Good for you!" And walked past me still wearing his big wide smile..
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Apparently he too was doing his usual morning routine. And so were other Filipino residents of the neighborhood at that early hour. But one thing looks quite clear to me.... Filipinos are shy .. in fact, just too shy to jump on an opportunity to make friends or simply share the good vibes of the moment. I remember Mom said this long ago....... "The art of giving and receiving does not come naturally to many. But it can be learned. Start with loving yourself, life and everything in it."
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Life without people would be similar to one landscape of meadows, mountains, rivers, forests running endlessly beyond the horizon and even farther. Magnificent but somehow incomplete.
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People, on the other hand, bring into life those thousand-and-one things which make it come pulsatingly alive. Challenges... perceptions... insights.... excitement... adventure... joy and happiness... creativity... productivity... emotional diversity... development... growth, etc. Add to the same pot the worrisome and wearying disputes... arguments... sorrows... questions... destruction.... conflicts... negativity... and other things more which make you want to bang your head on the wall. These things happen between man and man interacting and colliding in a manner they alone best know how.
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Life cannot be life without people in it.
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Wishing for you and your family God's blessings beyond measure.

FLOWERS GRACING MY EARLY MORNING WALK

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This morning I decided to do something different with my early morning walk ..... to take pictures of flowers down the paths winding round the hilly neighborhood.
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You see, sometimes we, in-spite of our brilliance, don't notice our surroundings as much as we really should. We simply gloss over the terrain not minding the many wonders, big and small, God placed in there for our enjoyment and pleasure.
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We know it's there but we take it all for granted. Just as we think that the trees around us will always be there and so pay no attention to them. Not realizing that even trees, or all of nature for that matter, also need our attention and care. They too, as we all know it, take care of the air we breathe and the ground we walk on, and the water that rains down on our fields.
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Life on this planet is a give-and-take. A symbiotic existence.... there is something you have that I need or something that I have that you need. An interdependent relationship between man and man... and man and nature.
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So this morning I decided to pay closer attention to my walk. And with heightened expectations hied off with the rising sun so eager to see lovely surprises packed into this particular morning landscape. By God's design.
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These pictures were taken with my phone. It could be better with the right tool I know........ but this little ole lady makes do with what she has. I think in this case, it is the object and not the tool which is magic...... magically Magnificent!
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Of course, the morning walk wouldn't be complete without the usual trip to the talipapa (market) for fruits... banana, lansones, mangoes, pineapple (later sliced and slid into the refrigerator to cool). Added to my basket too were.. golden squash, sweet potatoes and saging na saba.
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Great day.. indeed! Thank God!
May God bless you and your dear ones.

TODAY'S MORNING WALK AND MORE...

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I almost missed my morning walk today because it felt good staying in bed... rather overstaying... just feeling cozy and comfy.... the temptation was so great to sleep on. But..... habits are indeed hard to break. So I pushed myself up and out of bed grudgingly and gathered my morning-walk-stuff and walked out the door. Oh yes, I remembered to bring some money for some fruits and to pay my one-day-old debt with Mang Obet, the fruit vendor at the talipapa (market).
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Once I was out on the street the feeling of exhilaration returned and kept me moving at my usual pace and gait.
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You know, I've been at this for so long already that maybe you would be thinking by now that I have become quite jaded or bored with the landscape... both human and natural. Well, it's a yes on some days when the mood isn't there... but a no on most days when a small whisper from within reminds me that it's a beautiful world and life and that there is always something new to see everyday.
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The streets I walk on are the same ... perhaps worn and beaten in some parts through the years... but still good. The people I meet down those same paths are the same people too.... oh perhaps grayer in the hair... have put on some weight or lost a few.... have lost someone or gained a new one.... but still the same normal people in my same normal neighborhood.
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The trees, plants, flowers, animals... the flora and fauna, so to speak... of my neighborhood also seem the same.
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So I reply to that tiny voice inside... 'There's nothing new.' Immediately it comes out right back at me with.... 'You're not paying attention.'
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I'm NOT paying attention. --- I'm not paying ATTENTION.
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Oh boy! Okay, Mr. Tiny-Voice-Inside, let's see what you want me to see.
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From the top of the slope and looking down the road up ahead... it was nice watching the play of light and shadows as the sun began its ascent into the waiting sky. It's the newness of day which warms the soul.
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While I was admiring the view, somebody whisked past me in his jogging shoes and flew down ahead nodding a greeting at the man sweeping the garage of his home, and farther on till he was lost from sight. It's a nice neighborhood when a smile is freely given away like that.
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As I resumed my walk, I saw this bush by the road .. so pretty in its graceful leafy arch stretching out towards the street. Pretty in green! It reminds me of people whose wonderful friendships stretch across or beyond barriers of color, race, or religion.
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Not far from it was this ball-shaped plant and its spiky leaves thrusting out from its center. It's pretty. In fact, so beautiful. So much like life. Sometimes beauty can come from unexpected places.
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And then I came to this ugly stump of a tree. What remains of a once glorious and magnificent tree. Maybe we fail to understand it that these trees in its wonderful way help to keep the soil together thereby giving us the solid ground we walk on everyday. There's more to learn if we would just stop awhile and try to understand.
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Oh yes, that sign there. Garbage! It says 'No throwing of garbage in this area'. Speaks for itself. What about the garbage we find inside our heads... and hearts -- what do we do with it?
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See the plants thriving down on the ground? Talbos ng kamote. .... SCIENTIFIC NAME : Ipomoea Batatas. DESCRIPTION : The leafy part of the Camote plant is familiarly known as the Camote tops or Talbos ng Kamote, Thanks to that sign.. it IS thriving beautifully. ------ It's health benefits ---- It contains protein, dietary fiber, lipid, and essential minerals and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, aluminum and boron.

► Lowers blood sugar and cholesterol.
► Regulates good bowel movements.
► Boost the immune system and thus helping to prevent infections and disease.
 
I have it with my meals almost everyday.
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And finally at the end of my walk, a quick trip to my favorite fruit vendor, Mang Obet. Bought a few mangoes, lansones, rambutan, chicos, oranges, bananas... and of course I paid my old debt of thirty pesos. We exchanged pleasantries spiced with his usual contagious smile. Gee, people are lovely!
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In your day there are many things to see.... the old becomes new, the new becomes more interesting, the interesting becomes much more amazing. Just pay attention. Life is beautiful! By God's design.
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Have a great and blessed day, folks! :-) God bless you!