sunrise – Simple Moments of Life

Carpet of flowers

This afternoon, as I rushed to complete a few errands, my eyes saw that the road was filled with beautiful pink flowers that had fallen from a nearby tree. And, as I watched, the flowers continued to fall, swaying gently in the wind and gliding to the road. There were many.

They had served their purpose, giving generously of their beauty, expecting nothing in return. A few of these flowers had also fallen on some green bushes that lined the road. And even after they had served their purpose, these flowers still decorated the bushes and brought them to life!

My attention then shifted to the tree. It was in full bloom, wrapped in pretty flowers, gently swaying in the breeze.

I paused to take pictures. This got me thinking.

Life goes on. Days fly past. Morning quickly becomes night. ‘Things to do’ lists grow, shrink and expand at an alarming pace. Life’s pauses are few and far between. Technology rules. Necks are bent forward in a permanent posture of seeing and experiencing the world through one’s smartphone. Fingers are so used to touchscreen technology that we even try to zoom into physical copies of photographs.

Mother Nature is busy too! But where is the time to notice her beauty or her generosity? The miracle of sunrise and sunset are only used to pace our day, time our workouts or fix our various appointments. There is no time to enjoy the appearance of stars on the dark, velvety sky every night or appreciate a glorious sunny day! Weather reports are again to plan one’s schedule rather than to appreciate the lashing tropical rain or a grey, cloudy day!

We need to take small breaks – to stop, to appreciate, to rejuvenate and to be grateful!

Golden day

The balcony in my apartment faces the west. From about 2 pm in the afternoon, my living room looks like it has been lit with golden light.

However, in the mornings, there is light but not anywhere close to what we get in the afternoons.

This morning, as I stood on my balcony taking in some fresh air, I saw two golden sheets of the sun’s rays reflecting off a building close to our condo.

Such a divine splash of orange on the dull grey, signalling the birth of another day.

A simple moment of joy and happiness that put a spring in my step.

Sharing the pictures with you all. Have a great day!

Sunrise at Kanyakumari – In Words & Pictures – My Travel Diary

We are at Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent. The entire family is up at 5.30 a.m. to watch the sun rise. Daylight arrives with the bluish-silver colour of the sky. We wait now, and as we watch, the sky turns a pinkish orange, lighting up the clouds around it. Molten orange cotton-puff clouds streak the sky. The pinkish orange glow spreads across the horizon, as we wait with bated breath.

The Indian Ocean catches these golden moments, and reflects them in the calm waters of the morning. A few boats bob about near the beach, tired out from their fishing trips of the day before.

Again, in just a few minutes, the pinkish orange is replaced by golden yellow light and there, peeking into the horizon, is the golden Sun. Over the next few minutes, this golden ball rises up and takes over the sky. We watch in amazement.

As the day progresses, the warm colours of the morning give way to the bright and white light of the Sun as it moves across the sky. The breeze and the waves play with each other throughout the day, sometimes energetic, sometimes gentle. The swishing of the waves, and the gentle sounds of the breeze talking to the coconut palms, soothe the ears.

We see a number of vendors selling sea-shells of different colours, shapes and types. The lady in the shop asks me to place the shell against my ear. My ears hear the ocean and its waves, the stories that this shell has to tell me about its adventures in the sea.

We are in harmony with the waves, the breeze, the rocks and the Sun. We feel a sense of timelessness, as we watch the Universe at work, quietly going about its day.

Pure bliss.

Some photos that we captured.