Whispering rain.

It is a whisper in the air that welcomed me as I stepped out for my morning walk. soft rain, small pellets of water falling on my hands as the remainder of the drops to quench my soul. Rain fell like poetry; each drop  a single letter in a song that took eons to sing. Rain had always been music, calling to me in ways beyond words. When the patter of the drops tumbles from grey skies the melody brings serenity no matter the chaos in  life. Rain brings forth a lot of sweet memories.

Ing

Each droplet alighted on my skin with  enough coolness  commanding my mind to the enjoy the magic of present moment, to pull  away from the pain. The beads of raindrops over my face, joined to wash over me in a delicate cascade of trickles. I raised my eyes to the grey layer that touched the horizon , there were rays of light pushing through the dark clouds over the sea. In spite of the drizzling rain, the sun peeped out with hues of pink as if it was blushing with the kiss of the raindrops.

I stood there for a moment under the looming clouds. Then water began to sprinkle, cold and wet on my skin. Little droplets of water drenched me as I stood by the sea, the waves tickling me with mere tenderness. Drops of water trickled down my body as I stood there frozen, my gaze fixed on the horizon, staring at the beauty of the whole scenario.

The alluring Netravathi.

Life is made up of tiny little joys derived from everything around you. I believe life is in the little things, the tiniest ones.  Simple little things, when you connect the dots between all these little joys life seems fuller.  Little joys in life   are a celebration of life and feeling alive. Why does a river enthrall me? I really don't know. I love nature or may be it teams up with life. Perhaps it is the tranquility of a river or the sight of water that has an instantly calming effect. The rivers look so amazing!

A river in the silhouette of the rising or the setting sun is a beautiful sight to behold, one that captivates the soul. It is a beautiful feeling to visualize drifting down the river, to a rendezvous with the setting sun. The setting sun disappears, with the twilight slowly creeping in hanging her colored curtain down with such a breathtaking beauty, that it reflects the same way in the river and the heart. The scenic beauty around Netravathi is awe-inspiring. 

The softly meandering river, lush green banks, tall elegant trees, shimmering in the morning sun, is a spectacular sight.  The river spread before me like a broad belt of gold and silver brocade. It is breathtaking to view the rising sun mirroring in the almost unruffled water surface where a curled ripple in it like the tiny crest that glittered like a golden flame. The river, a sleeping cobra lying across the land in smooth seductive curves, beautiful in the morning light; the sight of a river makes my heat sink, with a yearning to be one with the river, drifting along in a canoe In the post-sunrise light the water sparkles,  beautiful like a painting. In the blinding light, the river looks like a semi-molten mirror.

The journey over the Netravathi is definitely alluring. I  felt  like a small excited child looking both sides to drink in its panoramic beauty, with small boats ferrying across, and the rains make it all the more beautiful. No wonder it has the capacity to allure as well as devastate.

Feathered story.

She felt an urge to soar high,

as she amassed the strength to fly,

with bold wings she flew,

yet was brutally clipped down.

She took the plunge down,

to land on placid waters,

drifting in its deluging beauty

while her wings healed.

The roseate dawn.

I wonder if there is anything  like watching a beautiful sunrise by the sea, to remind me that I am fully alive – enjoying those precious magical moments. Taking the time to gaze at the horizon while watching the  breakthrough of the dawn's colors in the  sky is truly magnificent. It is a reminder of beauty in life.

As I stepped out  to take a short cut to the beach, I saw dawn's dim light breaking out though it was still dark. The lights of an incoming flight   did light up my soul. When I reached the beach the sea was still dark with the rays of dawn brightening up, with the blinking lights of a few ships harbored there. One side of the beach was gray and the other side blue; but  both the reflection gave the sea a beautiful and inviting look, to venture into it. Dawn was flushing and the lights were gushing filling me with varied emotions. It was dusting the placid sky with tendrils of pink.

The breeze was cool and the splashing waves that caressed my aching feet was chill. A random thought came to my mind, "Real life has no filter." Why I thought so, I really down know. But I knew that I wanted to savor every moment taking life as it is, a stream of one's passion doing what you love the most.

The grains of sand hurt my bare feet as I walked along the wet sand as the waves came overlapping in a competing manner. The waves were in a mood of fun, making me wonder if they were overjoyed about something. They playfully overlapped each other  crashing down with sprays of water high and low. It looked to me as if they were having a competition as to which wave sprayed the highest. Walking along the beach, I was only too willing to get drenched by the spraying water from the waves. I realized that walking along the wet sand early in the morning was definitely healing.

The beacon of fortitude.

Chennai sky has been displaying its artistic creativity over the week. The sky was fully of fluffy white clouds parading all over its vast expanse.  The clouds were lazily drifting across an otherwise perfect forget-me-not blue sky.

As I was watching the sky in awe, I saw a patch among the white fluffy clouds that looked like an enlarged heart....My first thought was of an oozing heart with an open and gushing wound that refuses to heal giving a gnawing pain in the soul....then I saw that enlarged heart being filled up by the fluffy clouds that just drifted making me think of Richard Bach's quote, "A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed, it feels an impulsion... this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons." So I just thought to myself leave the illusions and be realistic and just move on like the clouds. There is no problem in life without a gift for you is what he says....very true because life is a constant learning experience and it teaches a lot, maybe the hard way.

I was on the road traveling to meet a friend and even at 6pm the sun was shining brightly enjoying the company of the parading clouds all over the sky. I looked at the sky in all four directions and saw that on one side was the smiling sun saying, “All is well," right in front of me the sky looked like it was covered with snow-capped mountains, on my right was dark gray clouds. But on the whole, the sky looked very beautiful. So is the life I chuckled to myself.

 The sky seemed a beacon of fortitude to me. The colors create concrete images in the mind of the beholder imparting a deeper meaning to them. Blue gives a sense of calmness, peace, happiness, relaxation and comfort, while gray is considered depressing and gloomy. But the realistic fact is that it is the gray clouds that give an array of rainbow colors to the blue sky...... so they have to co-exist.  I always find my answers in the vast expanse of the sky...the answers to the entire why, where, what, when and how of a rebel in me. The sunrises give me the energy to see me through the day and the sunsets give me hope and solace after a tiring day.  

Living the little moments of life.

Living in the moment and appreciating the little things of life give immense joy.   Be it a road trip, day dreaming about your writing,  brooding over an argument or burying your head in your smart phone, it’s easy to find yourselves in a million places other than the here and now, the magic of the present moment around you.

It is believed that when you are young you have novel experiences and create more vivid memories, but as you age, it becomes less “new” or “first time” experiences. There are no unique memories to stand out. I beg to differ in that belief. You make memories and every memory is new if you wish it to be. It is the way you look at it from your point of view.

Be “in the moment," then time seems to stand still in the magic of the moment, no matter what you are doing; cooking, writing on a paper, or watching a sunset or how old you are, you can definitely experience it like it’s a “first time.” Then the question arises as to how often  you are truly present in your life? Sometimes in life, you have to slow down and enjoy life more. You may try for a little while, but then off to the races again, filling your lives with more work and distractions.

Your perspective determines how you see and judge everything in life. And try as you may, you cannot run from the perspective that comes from growing older. You are reminded  of what’s really important in life when life is threatened.  It all bogs down to remembering what’s your priority in life.

"I believe in little adventures and amazing experiences, that makes me contemplate on life.  It teaches me  not to pin my hopes for happiness on far-off  things but those little things I see around me. It reminds me to live in the moment and  embrace the  awesome in every day."

Scintillating luminous iridescent clouds.

The breathtaking rainbow colors in the sky show an extremely rare, multi-colored cloud hovering over dark clouds with the sun behind it. It is Iridescence with the cloud glowing in a dazzling array of colors in  an incredible way. As the sun sets they blaze unbelievably bright, with vivid and slowly shifting iridescent colors. This rare effect  is created by light refracting off ice crystals in the water body of clouds, rather than water particles close to Earth, creating a 'flying' rainbow. Clouds are well known to have silver linings but many of the little fluffy things seen hanging over have also been tinged with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Just looking in awe and wonder at the beauty of the sky and the rare display of colors gives a child-like joy wondering what lay behind those colorful clouds. 

Recently Chennai skies have been displaying this rainbow colors in the clouds and at such times you can see pattern formation in the dark clouds; like a doggy gazing at the sky....the rainbow colored cloud changing shapes from a bird to a fish etc...The cloud formations look like bears, dragons and what a beholder could imagine at that point of time. These iridescent clouds fill one with a wonder.


I love watching these clouds as they slowly add color to the sky with different formations in the clouds making the evening sky devastatingly beautiful. It looks like an embroidery of rich colors. 

A dragonfly moment.

There are times nature awakens us to a deeper sense of self-awareness, an awakening never seen or felt before. As you observe you see and feel something appears before you in your life, it may be an insect that gives you an awakening to explore a deeper meaning of your life. A dragonfly is such because its metaphoric emergence from a nymph to a dragonfly reminds you that anything is possible, a potential and capability to fulfill your birthright in its true sense.

A dragonfly is an agile flyer that can hover, go up or down, forward or backward, and left or right, an ability to encompass all seven directions including its ability of flight from gliding to flying past through air. A dragonfly comes forth with a concept of birth to not only new ideas but a more evolved way of thinking altogether.

I write this today because I happened to observe a beautiful dragonfly sitting on a cable wire. The dragonfly perched itself on the cable and concentrated on something, a closer look at it I was amazed to see two ants carrying its food. The dragonfly waited till the two ants came closer and The dragonfly too  ate it leaving the ants...This is how it is in love and life too. It was a kind of awakening for me.

A dragonfly symbolizes good luck, strength, peace, harmony, light, and transformation, the unconsciousness mind, defeat of self-created illusions, opening one's eyes, and maturity. It shows changes, the kind of change that is psychological and emotional, with a deeper understanding of the meaning of life. It shows a kind of depth in character as one age, going beyond what's on the surface into a deeper aspect of life. I admire its power to poise, an awe-inspiring aspect being accomplishing the goals with utmost simplicity, elegance, and grace.

Flamboyance of the Gulmohar.

The Gulmohar trees enrich our lives, reassuring us with the rustle of their leaves and bring delight to us with their colorful blossoms. They seem to emanate a sense of permanence in our lives with their roots deep rooted in the earth yet touching the skies and understand their silences.

The fruits and seeds of a tree feed the body, but beauty feeds the soul. There are times we fail to observe nature surviving & blossoming in very severe climatic conditions. What is more uplifting than the sight of the Gulmohar flowers amidst the rainy weather?  At the end of summer, it cheers the soul as the petals unfold brightly on the trees and fall bravely to the ground.

It is a pleasure to see the tree-tops inflamed with red bright bursts all around. But as the pleasant breeze blows, the canopy of red flowers with streaks of orange, white and yellow present a beautiful picture to soothe the mind with nature's beauty leaving us spellbound. The feathery fern-like leaves are exceedingly beautiful. It is vibrant and a great symbol of flamboyance.

The Gulmohar in full bloom stirs the heart of poets and lovers alike. I am reminded of the beautiful thoughts expressed poetically on the strikingly flamboyant blossoms by Sarojini Naidu. 

Passionate thunderstorm.

A bolt of lightning tore across the sky and a peal of thunder followed; the rains lashed out in fury with raging wind. I love the forked flash of lighting and the applauding clap of thunder that follows it. The sighing wind thrashed the tree tops as the branches shook. The lightning and thunder continued their affair incessantly   with passion. The thundering sheet of rain lashed in fury and then subsided into a tender blowing breeze with a drizzle.

A thunderstorm is likened to the intense emotions that go on inside you.  Being embarrassed by your feeling is like being afraid of the climatic conditions because euphoric emotions are the weather conditions of the inner self, the real you. It’s not surprising that thunderstorm often bring out powerful emotions, ranging from excitement to fear...igniting your deeper selves. They have a great impact on you. It is the calm after a storm that matters.

The fading sun.

The first impression while watching a sunset is that it is a beautiful and mystifying creation of the nature that leaves a great image in beholder's mind,  however, sometimes those images  associate with a comparison of the sunset of one's life. Yet I believe that I can find inner peace by being in direct contact with Mother Nature and her creations that fill me with wonder and tranquil moments watching the breathtaking view. All I know being one with sunrise or sunset is that I’ve found my happy place, where I find my answers.

One of the most beautiful aspects of watching a sunset is the mango rays disappearing slowly behind thick dark clouds as if the sun itself had a specific time schedule tuned by an hourglass. As darkness slowly creeps upon the dying light, the entire landscape becomes different. The sky becomes an index of the most beautiful colors , the azure sky fading into   twilight colour so pure. My rendezvous with the sun always leaves me in a trance and all I do is let the sunset paint before my eyes, with its palette of colors.

For those moments nothing else mattered except the beauty of the setting sun. It makes me realize that peace in my soul is just a sunset away and cleansing my  soul is just as easy as standing there, all pores open, and letting the sights blow my mind with the gentle winds caress my skin taking me  deep into my memories. It is as though I am leaving the world behind but standing on top of it all at once, healing all my oozing scars.

A dawn with new hope.

The cloudy skies sometimes clear up to usher in the sun rising from the horizon through the dark clouds paving its way to the parading white fluffy clouds. The sun peeps out slowly and taking  the time to gaze at the horizon as  the sun breaks through the morning sky is truly magnificent. It could be a reminder of new beginnings and new opportunities. The dark clouds move in the morning sky as if kissed by the sun into brilliant white, moving over the sea changing shapes. The clouds drift lazily in the breeze without the destinations while the sun still peeps through them with a new hope of existence. It gives a sense of new beginnings with new seeds of courage

The  changing appearance of the sun is just like the changing emotions.  Every day there is change, the sunrise is never the same, neither is dawn but the end of the day, what remains of the body, mind, and soul is my true perception. And that part will never leave me whether I shine or not through my inner spark every moment. Sunrises are special, for it scripts a new day, so are sunsets as they give hope for a new day. I wake up or drag myself up to see the sunrises daily wanting to live life fully and passionately.