Thursday, June 27, 2013

'L'- For: Life And Love

Life And Love:
                                               The beautiful up and down road.

Life is full of ups and downs:  does it mean it is not good, life is a tragedy, we foolishly wish there was an even pace, giving us a feeling of stability, security and balance.
 However, we could look at it in a different way;
                                         All airplane pictures have been taken by our daughter

                                     New York city from the top taken by my husband

  Isn't it fun going up, there is a thrill when the plane takes off, we are suddenly so high, we can enjoy the beauty of clouds from close quarters, we can also see the beauty of  the ground, all the buildings looking so small , neat and cute, as if it is made of building blocks, you don't see the dirt and filth from such a height, everything looks so symmetrical and well laid out.
  We get to see  mountains, oceans, so big , yet so calm, cities from high above. Instead of enjoying all these things, we quickly say, "Oh plane journeys are so boring", for we never allow ourselves to see the beauty of nature spread before us. 


And the thrill, which one can experience as the planes starts to descend  down slowly, we can sometimes feel that the tall buildings are almost touchable.
                                                    View  of London, taken by my husband.
See how dull boring plane rides can be turned into spectacular rides, and in the end we can always thank the creator for giving  us the opportunity to experience such wonderful sights.


Similarly,  life is fun with its ups and downs just like a plane ride, ( that was just an example).
How many times we end up cursing the rain, when there is no need to curse, for it is just a season: rainy season. 

We can protect ourselves from getting wet by wearing the right clothing, and go about our life, we can even enjoy getting wet  in the rain, like little children and have fun dancing in the rain. 

It was fun getting wet in  Wayanad Kerala, when it suddenly started to pour very heavily

                                              Even umbrellas were found to be useless, so the next best thing was to enjoy getting wet in the rain
 Trekking in the rain

There is nothing good or bad in life, everything is made good or bad according to the way we decide to look.
I know, I was always complaining about the unusual heat of Bangalore, and soon I realized, that, instead of accepting it as an unusual, weather condition, I was unnecessarily getting agitated about it and getting all the more heated up. Instead,  I could be grateful,  I didn't have to go out and work in the heat like some people  have to do, I could be grateful, that I was not residing  in some place that was much more hotter than Bangalore. Instead of fighting the heat, I decided to flow with what was happening in the moment, and felt much better doing that. I may not be able to change the weather conditions, but I can surely change my attitude towards it. No point cribbing all the time, just think of doing some cool things and become cool all at  once.
I could totally relate to this quote: 
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”― Timmy Dean

Yes,  Life is full of ups and downs and I really like and enjoy  every bit of going up and coming down too.  Remember, how as  little children,  we used to love the Seesaw, didn't we enjoy the ride up and also the ride down?


Love:  
To me the true meaning of Love is beautifully summed up in these lines:


When the one whose hand you're holding
Is the one  who holds your heart
When the one whose eyes you gaze into
Gives your hopes and dreams their start,
When the one you think of first and last
Is the one who holds you tight,
And the things you plan together
Make the whole world seem just right,
When the one whom you believe in
puts their faith and trust in you,
You've found the one and only love
You'll share your whole life through.

I believe true love, does not judge, does not impose its will  on others. Love means to be together,  giving each other enough space to do what each wants to do, if for some reasons they need to go separate ways allow that to happen without clinging, and letting them go, there is no anger, there is no bitterness.
The beautiful and meaningful lines of the great Sufi poet, comes to my mind:

On Marriage
Kahlil Gibran

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.


Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.


Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. 
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.


Though Kahlil Gibran had  meant marriage, it can be applied to any loving relationship,  like this quote here says:
“A mother is someone who dreams great dreams for you, but then she lets you chase the dreams you have for yourself and loves you just the same.”




Life:
 is just like chapters in a book, some good, some bad, but all come together to create the story of our lives, we have learnt many things from each chapters and changed many things and are constantly changing, and  re-creating ourselves again and again into new personalities. Isn't it wonderful to say,  hello to a new person everyday, "the new me"?

Love: The magic words for a great relationship are: I love you just the way you are.
What are your views about Life and Love?
I would love to hear from  all of you.

17 comments:

  1. Each and every sentence is so positive. I love K.Gibran's quotes on marriage, and have made a wee poster and have hung it in our bedroom too. And as you say, those words do apply to any relationship. Nice post Rama!

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  2. Life is indeed a wonderful journey when we learn to love it with all its wonders and imperfections just the way we are... I love the positivity you exude Rama :) Sometimes I wonder when and how the simple, uncomplicated way of looking at life that we had as children got morphed into the cribbing and fault-finding?

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  3. Hi.The post is simply amazing. Through our journey of life there are ups and downs. That is the law of nature, One thing or event has to change at its appointed time.So there is no use cribbing over it or for that matter getting too happy..It will pass. the scene keeps changing and we are spectators. So enjoy life in the company of your loved one. Bless you.
    BTW the photographs are very beautiful,and your presence has enhanced their beauty!

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  4. I am a fan of kahlil zibran, he writes so beautifully..waynad looks so beautiful and hot, written with banglore surprises me, to me Banglore is so cool( not in a fashion way)

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  5. You signed off with grace abd wonderfulky.too,"I love you just the way you are".
    That sums up everything.
    I csn see you are enjoying everry bit of life.Keep going goodluck.

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  6. Hi Rama, nice to meet you. Thanks for visiting my blog. Life is indeed full of ups and downs.

    Btw..regarding your comment on my Grammarly post, it tends to point out to many errors which are actually not errors. Its good for grammatical errors, spell checks, to check for overuse of passive voice, but quite a few of its comments can be taken with a pinch of salt.

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  7. with all the humps and bumps which i cherish and yeah the same thought that comes to my mind too is recollecting the past and feel proud of myself about dealing with the situation ... of course its sooo important to let the person have their own dreams and supporting them in every possible way ... accepting people as they are instead of judging brings in harmony within us ... you are a fountain of positive energy ... thanks for this wonderful post...:))

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  8. Excellent thoughts Rama! I love people who can make lemonade from lemons instead of cribbing they got lemons.Loved your pics.

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  9. lovely post...loads of things to enjoy...from the wisdom of Gibran to amazing shots taken from planes but the think I loved the most is the pic of ur house in Vista! Lovely!!

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  10. lovely post...loads of things to enjoy...from the wisdom of Gibran to amazing shots taken from planes but the think I loved the most is the pic of ur house in Vista! Lovely!!

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  11. am grateful to god for giving me a wonderful stress free day to day life ... i always look upto working women how they toil everyday to keep things going ... i used to tell my husband if i go for work i will return home in all four ...:)) aeroplane snaps, aerial view of new york and your wayanad photos are all amazing rama ...:))

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  12. The bounties of nature are so immense that one lifetime is not enough to enjoy them all Rama, be it getting wet in rain or watching the tall buildings from aircraft:) Lovely pictures !!

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  13. Wonderful photographs, as I felt like being there.You reap positive harvest from all kinds of crops,may they bear bitter or sweet fruit.And Rama is one such person.Life is a plain paper on which you can scribble things you wish.Love is only four letters,but when combined carry boundless meaning.

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  14. First timer here...and needless to say enjoyed my first visit

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  15. You write so well...

    Great pictures of sunsets, seas, airplane views and your beautiful lawn...

    Thank you so much!

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  16. Liked the analogy between life and a plane ride... that is so very true. By choosing to take a positive outlook on life, can make this journey of our life worthwhile. Also it is the cheapest 'fountain of youth'.

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  17. Well written. Getting wet in the rain is the best thing that can happen in monsoon. Like those pictures of Wynad.

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