"Aloha" by Bodhi Smith

Apr 29, 2022

"aloha" is my brand new impression and blog...
 
"she said aloha to me, i said aloha to her, it was the beginning of this world. we loved and lived and loved some more, until we had to say aloha to each other and part for a while" ― bodhinku, aloha
 
"aloha 
hello and goodbye
two in one 
a never ending encounter 
hello and goodbye 
one and the same 
a constant encounter
after every goodbye comes hello
and after every hello comes goodbye
a full circle of non-separation
just like after a sunrise comes a sunset, 
and after a sunset comes a sunrise
the sun is always there
and so am i. 
and so are you" ― bo syrotiak
 
"we said aloha, we touched our foreheads together and breathed each other in. we hugged and kissed--and kissed and hugged. we danced and danced, then danced some more. so happy with aloha in our hearts, renewing everything blessed since time first began. now i carry her in my arms, as well as in my heart, aloha my love!" ― bodhinku, aloha
 
"i wish you were here with me walking on the beach in hawaii. playing on the golden sand, looking at the ocean now i understand. love is like the open sea and i wish you were here with me, on the beach in hawaii" ― ziggy marley, beach in hawaii 
 
"remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other...give the one you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay" ― dalai lama xiv, the art of happiness
 
“aloha is compassion, love, light, harmony, peace and joy, all rolled into one. aloha is choosing love in every moment, showing up and being lovingly present no matter what it looks like on the inner or outer. aloha is compassion" ― mark ellman, practice aloha  
 
"i get excited about every single day
every day is like christmas
i can’t wait to wake up to open my presents
the sunrises and sunsets
my gifts are of the present moment
every sunrise and sunset is a gift
at night i can’t wait to wake up again
i can’t wait to do it all over again
i am just a kid in a candy store of sunrises and sunsets
my daily candy
my daily gifts
i am grateful for every day i open my eyes 
i am grateful for every day i close my eyes 
mahalo and aloha." ― bo syrotiak
 
"tears of joy, tears of sadness, laughter, dancing, shopping, eating, taking photos, walking, what an incredible and amazing cool day to remember...wow...he left, i say aloha, he comes back in my dreams, i say aloha. what an incredible and amazing cool life full of aloha moments" ― bo syrotiak
 
"our possibilities together are endless. the universe is conspiring to lead us to our bliss, and the path is ours! we can say hello and goodbye, aloha. but we are always there in the middle, between coming and going, no matter what forever, because i carry your heart, i carry it in my heart" ― bodhinku, aloha
 
"no one has family in hawaii. everyone is family in hawaii" ― richie norton
 
"the reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. maybe they always have been and will be. maybe we've lived a thousand lives before this one and in each of them we've found each other. and maybe each time, we've been forced apart for the same reasons. that means that this goodbye is both a goodbye for the past ten thousand years and a prelude to what will come" ― nicholas sparks, the notebook
 
"come on sweetheart, let's adore one another before there is no more of you and me" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved
 
“hellos and goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.” ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved
 
"love one another...if we took those simple words to heart, we'd already be the buddhas that jesus wanted us to be"― katheen dowling singh. the grace in aging
 
this song, "love is my religion" by ziggy marley is almost a mantra to me, i could not think of a better song to describe my feeling of aloha than this song. love is aloha, and aloha is love. and love is my religion. love is the religion of my girlfriend. love is the religion of my doggie. love is the religion of my closest friends. love is the religion of my mom and dad, love is my religion, love is my faith. love is the higher power in this universe, love is aloha... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...
 
love is my religion, love is my religion, love is my religion, i'll take you to the temple tonight...all my days i've been searching to find out what this life is worth. through the books and bibles of time, i've made up my mind. i don't condemn, i don't convert. this is a calling, have you heard? bring all the lovers to the fold, because no one is gonna lose their soul...love is my religion, love is my religion, love is my religion, hey you can take it or leave it, and you don't have to believe it...i don't want to fight, hey let's go fly a kite. there's nothing that we can't cure, and i'll keep you in my arms for sure. so don't let nobody stop us, free spirits have to soar. with you i share the gift, the gift that we now know oh oh oh...love is my religion, love is my religion, love is my religion, hey you can take it or leave it, and you don't have to believe it...well i'm done searching now. i found out what this life is worth. not in the books that i find, but by searching my mind. i don't condemn, i don't convert. this is the calling, have you heard? bring all the lovers to the fold. no one is gonna lose their soul...love is my religion, love is my religion, love is my religion, hey you can take it or leave it, and you don't have to believe it. love is my religion, love is my religion, love is my religion, hey you can take it or leave it, now that you believe" ― ziggy marley, love is my religion 
 
"as kindred souls, 
we've said aloha 
in love 
to each other infinitely, 
over and over 
through centuries 
of time and space...
rediscovering each other 
endlessly in aloha, 
living in love together 
until we must let go 
of one another 
in aloha, always 
knowing we'll manage 
to find each other 
again and be 
together as one, 
because aloha lives 
in both of us 
and always will" ― bodhinku, aloha
 
"i give my mahalo to aloha. because to share aloha is to share life, it's honoring and respecting all of creation in this connected love" ― bodhinku, mahalo aloha 
 
"every wave says aloha as it kisses the beach...and the beach says aloha to every wave as it returns to the sea" ― bodhinku, hello-goodbye
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MEANING
"she is aloha. she is hello. she is here. she is goodbye. she is eternal. she is boundless. she is faithful. she is dreamy. she is beautiful. she is hope. she is love. she is the divine breath inside of me. she is my aloha" ― bodhinku, aloha
 
"aloha" in the hawaiian language has multiple meanings. its a word that really needs to be experienced rather than said. it's a greeting of deep respect, but also a farewell with good wishes. it carries a deep meaning of connected love, compassion and peace. i've always loved words such as this, like the word namaste which i use to sign off all my letters, emails, blogs, and messages to others...
 
recently i have been blessed to have love surround me inside and out, a deeply profound love that is so sweet and beautiful. truly reminiscent of aloha's deeper meaning...
 
i had planned a trip to the hawaiian island of kauai way back in october of 2021 for my spring break this year in mid-april. i'd always wanted to go to the island with someone else, but just gave up waiting and decided to make the trip to kauai by myself...
 
however, someone special has now entered my world, and while i was in hawaii, i dearly missed her and wished she could have been at my side. the trip was quite successful from a photography standpoint, but it came up short spiritually because she was not there. i longed for her each night, and i know the trip would have been so much more rich, much more fullfilling if she could have gone with me...
 
and she also dearly wanted to be with me while i was on kauai too. she lived vicariously my experiences through me and my photos and facetime...but as you can imagine, it's not even close to being the same as being there. so guess what? we've decided to return to the island as a couple in august of this year. i cannot wait to see the island again, only with her. and i purposefully did not fully explore kauai, leaving much of the island to be experienced fresh and brand new with her with me, romantically seeing it for the first time together as one...
 
i truly believe she's the very one, the connected love i've been waiting for, longing for. the soul my soul has known and loved since time began...
 
 as kindred spirits, we've said aloha in love to each other infinitely, over and over through centuries of time and space...rediscovering each other endlessly in aloha, living in love together until we must let go of one another in aloha, always knowing we will manage to find each other again and be together as one, because aloha lives in both of us, and always will...
 
she said aloha to me, i said aloha to her, it was the beginning of this world. we loved and lived and loved some more, until we had to say aloha to each other and part for a while...
 
then i was born into this body, and i said aloha to this world...but where was she? the memory of her mystery cried aloha in my veins, awakening inside me the memories of my soul through the millennia. her soul deep love cried aloha to me in dreams for 50 years. i called out to her with every fiber of my existence. only there she was, and yet wasn't. she existed, but i could only feel her in my heart and know with certainty that somewhere she was longing for me too...
 
then out of the blue, there she was. "poof" she found me once again, and materialized....my love was here, really here! and we said aloha, we touched our foreheads together and breathed each other in. we hugged and kissed--and kissed and hugged. we danced and danced, then danced some more. so happy with aloha in our hearts, renewing everything blessed since time first began. now i carry her in my arms, as well as in my heart, aloha my love!
 
and now, our possibilities together are endless. the universe has conspired to lead us to our bliss, and the path is ours! we can say hello and goodbye, aloha. but we are always there in the middle, between coming and going, no matter what forever, because i carry her heart, i carry it in my heart...
 
"aloha my love, my love is aloha, you are my love, you are my aloha!" ― bodhinku, aloha
 
this song "beach in hawaii" is by my all-time favorite reggae artist, ziggy marley. written in 2006, it's sixteen years old now but it's still as beautiful as the first time i heard it. it's the absolute perfect song to open up my blog with today since my impression is portraying a beautiful beach in hawaii. i was sitting with my toes buried in the sand, all alone (i had the entire beach literally all to myself), watching the sunset as the waves infinitely repeat the idea of aloha, kissing the shore and then retreating endlessly over and over again. the clouds were so puffy and full of pastels, their soft colors reflecting mystically in the water and mirroring wet sands. all so memorizingly peaceful, calming my restless soul. making me feel so lucky to be a part of this gorgeous world, this wonderful planet and magical universe. what more could i want? well...one thing was definitely missing: her. and i was missing her something awful. and this song is about being on a beach in hawaii, dearly missing the one you love, wishing they could be here seeing all of this beauty, making everything perfectly complete with nothing missing ... "beach in hawaii" by ziggy marley ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"i wish you were here with me walking on the beach in hawaii. playing on the golden sand, looking at the ocean now i understand. love is like the open sea and i wish you were here with me, on the beach in hawaii. since i've been gone away, i think about you everyday. don't you know i miss you much and you know i need your touch. i'm on a rocky cliff, oh i wish you were here with me (i wish you were here with me) on the beach in hawaii (i wish you were here with me)...a little pakalolo and i say mahalo. ujjayi breathing to get a real feeling. yogi gonna let you know that i wish you were here with me (i wish you were here with me) on the beach in hawaii (i wish you were here with me) in hawaii on the beach in hawaii. i wish you were here with me on the beach in hawaii...i wish you were here with me on the beach in hawaii" ― ziggy marley, beach in hawaii 
 
"i always want to say hello to her, but i never want to say goodbye. i always want to come, but i never want to leave. i want to stay in her arms in love as long as possible...i believe that's the true essence of aloha" ― bodhinku, aloha
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STORY OF ALOHA
"aloha makes perfect sense...saying hello and goodbye have an important intersection, one acknowledges the past, another the future, but both point to the moment of now, here, aloha" ― bodhinku, aloha
 
"aloha" is the hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy. "aloha" is quite similar to the hawaiian word of "mahalo" (meaning thankful), it is made up of two words:
alo - means "in the presence of"
ha - refers to the "divine breath of life"
 
so "aloha" is directly translated to mean "in the presence of the divine breath of life"...the old-school traditional hawaiian greeting starts by sharing ha, or their breath. the exchange of breath is done when two individuals press their foreheads and noses together while inhaling at the same time. this exchange is a significant part of hawaiian culture. hawaiians recognized that the breath is key to good health and believed it possesses mana or spiritual power.

exchanging ha is a practice that rarely happens anymore, however, those connected with hawaiian culture and heritage will often greet each other in this fashion. this breath exchange relates to aloha because the sharing of the breath is a sign of respect, of allowing another person in close to you, essentially the essence of aloha.
 
nowadays, aloha is commonly used as a simple greeting and farewell, but the word has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance to native hawaiians, for whom the term is used to define a force that holds together existence.
 
to all hawaiians, "aloha" is "love" and it's important for health and well being. it's truly a force that surrounds us, penetrates us, and connects us to each other and the universe...and hawaiians honor this connection through love with the word, "aloha"
 
many people associate the word "aloha" with hello, goodbye, or love. however, those who have grown up in hawaii or have lived on the islands for a long period of time would say that aloha has many meanings, deeper than just a greeting.

if you were to ask someone in hawaii, "what does aloha mean to you?" you may receive a variety of answers. aloha is an essence of being: love, peace, compassion, and a mutual understanding of respect. aloha means living in harmony with the people and land around you with mercy, sympathy, grace, and kindness. when greeting another person with aloha, there is mutual regard and affection. this extends with warmth in caring for the other with no obligation to receive anything in return. the direct translation from hawaiian to english is the presence of divine breath. the hawaiian word "alo" is presence front and face, and "ha" is breath.

aloha is the true meaning and symbol of the hawaiian culture and lifestyle: respect and love one another, and live in harmony with everything around you. aloha is not something that is spoken, it is something that must be experienced.
 
the spirit of aloha is unique to hawaii, but it is something you can share anywhere you are in the world....so spread aloha!
 
this next tune was written in 1967 (the very same year i said aloha to this world) by paul mccartney, the lead singer of the beatles...he said that the lyrics address duality, reflecting his astrological sign of gemini. aloha is a word made up of that very duality...he added: "it's such a deep theme in the universe, duality...man/woman, black/white, ebony/ivory, high/low, right/wrong, up/down, hello/goodbye...so, it was a very easy song to write." mccartney also said that in "hello goodbye" by the beatles, he was promoting the more positive side of the duality...
 
"you say, "yes", i say, "no" you say, "stop" and i say, "go, go, go" oh no...you say, "goodbye" and i say, "hello, hello, hello." i don't know why you say, "goodbye", i say, "hello, hello, hello." i don't know why you say, "goodbye", i say, "hello"...i say, "high", you say, "low" you say, "why?" and i say, "i don't know" oh no. you say, "goodbye" and i say, "hello, hello, hello." i don't know why you say, "goodbye", i say, "hello, hello, hello." i don't know why you say, "goodbye", i say, "hello"
why, why, why, why, why, why, do you say, "goodbye, goodbye, bye, bye"? oh no. you say, "goodbye" and i say, "hello, hello, hello." i don't know why you say, "goodbye", i say, "hello, hello, hello" i don't know why you say, "goodbye", i say, "hello"...you say, "yes", i say, "no" (i say, "yes", but i may mean, "no"). you say, "stop", i say, "go, go, go." (i can stay still it's time to go). oh, oh no. you say, "goodbye" and i say, "hello, hello, hello." i don't know why you say, "goodbye", i say, "hello, hello, hello" i don't know why you say, "goodbye", i say, "hello-wow, oh, hello"...hela, heba, helloa, hela heba, helloa, hela, heba, helloa..." ― the beatles, hello goodbye
 
"i love to love love" ― bodhinku, love
 
"love is the higher power in this universe" ― bodhinku, faith
 
"i say mahalo nui loa to kauai, and the island responds aloha nui loa a hui hou kakou to me" ― bodhinku, mahalo 
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MORE BODHIKU QUOTES
and now here are a few more quotes from bodhinku from past blogs to help add to the deeper meaning of this blog today...
 
"mahalo to the universe for roses rare,
for skies of blue and sunshine fair;
for every gift, i raise a prayer,
mahalo ke akua to the universe for lovely night,
for mystic fields with stars bedight,
for hours of dream and deep delight,

mahalo ke akua for love divine,
the hopes that ‘round my heart entwine;
for all the joy that now is mine,
 
"and i'm grateful to breathe, to be alive! i'm so grateful for this moment i'm in right now, and for the next i get to experience! i'm grateful for this planet i live upon, for the water, for the wind, for the ocean, for the stars, for the divine spirit! and most of all, i'm grateful for love and being surrounded by love, and being filled up with love...i'm so thankful for love in my life..." ― bodhinku, mahalo 
 
"for this breath, i give my mahalo. 
for mother earth, i give my mahalo. 
for the ocean, i give my mahalo. 
for the rain, i give my mahalo 
for the clouds, i give my mahalo 
for the light shining through darkness, i give my mahalo 
for the stars and the milky way, i give my mahalo 
for the universe, i give my mahalo 
for the divine spirit, i give my mahalo 
for this moment, i give my mahalo
for love, i give my mahalo" ― bodhinku, mahalo
 
"and i deeply encourage you to write your thoughts daily...i truly believe that the more we express and record all things we're grateful for, the more magic, blessings, and miracles we see each day...mahalo ke akua!" ― bodhinku, mahalo 
 
"today we celebrate earth day, and it's a reminder of how i'm so deeply grateful for this planet. i'm truly thankful to be blessed to be alive and get to see, experience, and photograph all of the beauty that this world has to offer. thankful, grateful, mahalo" ― bodhinku, mahalo to the earth
 
"sometimes when i make choices, i feel alone. so i reminded myself of the tender mercies this universe has given unto me on a daily basis: life, love, breath, sunrise, water, food, earth, sunset, sky, stars, sleep, dreams and i know i'm not alone...and i am thankful" ― bodhinku, mahalo
 
"mahalo ke akua for life...these words help me find my path through difficulties. they help me to silence the needless noise in my mind. as i express gratitude for all that i have, even my challenges. my mind is enlightened, i'm content. i have more peace....it's about being grateful for all i have, not wishful for all that i don't..." ― bodhinku, mahalo ke akua  
 
"remember these simple words, "mahalo ke akua"...be thankful for your life, for the people in your life, for your home, for your health, for love inside and out, for the creations on this earth." ― bodhinku, mahalo
 
 "all someone needs is some one, and sometimes all you need is one time" ― bodhinku, one
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SOME IMPORTANT HAWAIIAN WORDS
"aloha" means love, affection, peace, compassion"
"aloha nui loa" means "with all my love"
"aloha ke akua" means "breath of life" or "love of god"
"aloha kuleana" means "love responsibly"
"mahalo" is a hawaiian word and translates to mean: "i'm grateful; thank you"
"mahalo nui loa" is the hawaiian phrase meaning "i'm very much grateful"
"mahalo ke akua" is the hawaiian phrase meaning "thanks be to the great spirit"
"a'hui hou" means "until we meet again"
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
this next song is so profoundly deep with its message..."aloha ke akua" by nahko bear (medicine for the people) ... while abstract, the singer speaks to the coexistence of humans, nature, the environment and a reverence of love that should guide our life therein. the interconnection of love and the natural world that surrounds us is quickly lost when our lives become overrun with electronics, a throw-away culture and a society that often values materialism more than it does the environment. it seems that technological and scientific progress can unintentionally push us to disconnect from this earth and our spiritual purpose. and if we are not tuned in and conscientious to keep love and nature in our forward thinking, we will miss all those valuable moments in life, those ordinary moments...and all moments are important and not to be overlooked...if we let all the noise of the new information society overtake us, the space in between or the "breath of life" will be unappreciated or lost as the song repetitively recants with "aloha ke akua"... 
 
"there are no ordinary moments" ― dan millman, way of the peaceful warrior
 
this breath, "aloha ke akua" is our pause button in this worldly existence; it's by taking this breath, that we identify if we're making a difference with the works with which we occupy our time. i'm someone who truly believes that once basic needs are met, people can find satisfaction in their life, no matter what their occupation, if they look for joy and bring sincere respect in their interactions with other people and our natural world. some work in nature or do outdoor work. others work inside so they can play in the natural world. either way, finding a method to better connect with humanity and mother nature is, in my opinion, critical in finding a sense of meaning in this life...

"lend your ears, lend your hands. lend your movement, anything you can. come to teach, come to be taught. come in the likeness in the image of god. because, you can be like that. with all that humbleness, and all that respect. all of the power invested in me, be it hard to love my enemies. all of the black bags over the heads of the dead and dying. the more i understand about the human race, the less i comprehend about our purpose and place. and maybe if there was a clearer line the curiosity would satisfy. time based prophecies that kept me from living in the moment i am struggling to trust the divinity of all the guides. and what the hell they have planned for us. i cry for the creatures who get left behind. but everything will change in a blink of an eye. and if you wish to survive, you will find the guide inside. i go back and forth every single day. the clarity that comes to me in a choppy way. as the feelings and the places and the seasons change, the galaxies remain. energy fields cone the body in space. the angels that are coming from a spiritual waste. the hate that gets me distant from my spiritual pace. ten fold the manna when the planets are in place, in polar alignment. we're on assignment. bodies on consignment. return them to the circus, and what is the purpose? what is the purpose and would you believe it? would you believe it if you knew what you were for and how you became so informed? bodies of info performing such miracles. i am a miracle made up of particles. and in this existence, i'll stay persistent. and i'll make a difference, and i will have lived it...aloha, aloha ke akua, ke akua...aloha, aloha kuleana, kuleana...i am not a leader, just a creature. stick the peaches of my teacher when you follow where they lead. all mysterious ways of nature and i am in to it, changing management. and there are various ways to conquer this monotonous, metropolis. my stubbornness is bottomless, my fear is this is talking shit. and i am wide awake and i am taking names. do you speak to me like you speak to god? all the love and understanding between the father and the son? do you believe in the perfectness of where you are? he's my people, he's my children, it's the land that i would fight for. i saw an ebonese telling me to patiently move the music medicine around the planet in a hurry. cuz there's no time to waste. got to wake up the people. time to stand up and say: we know what we are for and how we became so informed. bodies of info performing such miracles. i am a miracle made up of particles. and in this existence, i'll stay persistent and i'll make a difference. and i will have lived it... aloha, aloha ke akua, ke akua...aloha, aloha kuleana, kuleana...each day that i wake, i will praise, i will praise.. each day that i wake, i give thanks, i give thanks. each day that i wake, i will praise, i will praise. each day that i wake, i give thanks, i give thanks....and the day that i do wake up and transcend the holy makeup, i am capable, i am powerful. and the day that i do wake up and transcend the holy makeup, i am on my way to a different place, i am powerful. and the day that i do wake up and transcend the holy makeup, i am on my way to a different place" ― nahko and medicine for the people, aloha ke akua
 
"a family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. if these minds love one another, the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha 
 
"yin and yang, male and female, strong and weak, rigid and tender, heaven and earth, light and darkness, thunder and lightning, cold and warmth, good and evil…the interplay of opposite principles constitutes the universe" ― confucius
 
“...and it is because of a great love, one is courageous” ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"there are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. one is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow. today is the right day to love, to believe, to do, and mostly to live" ― dalai lama xiv, the art of happiness 
 
"love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature" ― plato, the symposium
 
"light is the shadow and love of god" ― plato, phaedrus
 
"i will not live without love" ― vincent van gogh
 
"thank you for loving that i am unapologetically strong, wild and fiercely free and for never trying to tame me. trying to clip my wings would kill me faster than a thousand daggers ever could. thank you for riding with me during all the storms that threaten our shores. thank you for waiting for me through all these desperate times of longing. and i know being present with what’s going on isn’t always a picnic, and thank you for staying hungry for our love, i thank you for valuing this place and being here with me now" ― c. ara campbell   
 
"her heart is worth it. her love is a once-in-a-lifetime, out of this world, rare and mystical power to behold and be enfolded by. her heart and her love is one of the most courageous, beautiful, passionate and powerful things you will ever encounter on this planet. true, it’s not for the faint of heart, but it is worth it. she will make every single moment count, every heartbeat, always, this i promise you" ― c. ara campbell 
 
"in this life, a full hearted love and a place to call home are more precious than all the earthly possessions and wealth in the world" ― beau taplin, remedy
 
"what am i to do, love, loved one? i don't know how others love, or how people loved in the past. i live, watching you, loving you. being in love is my nature" ― pablo neruda, 100 love sonnets
  
"i love you as the plant that never blooms, but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers; thanks to your love, a certain solid fragrance risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body" ― pablo neruda, all the odes
 
"we have to take love where we find it, even if that means hours, days, weeks of sadness. the moment we seek love, love seeks us. and saves us" ― paulo coelho, by the river piedra sat down and wept  
 
"one is loved because one is loved. no reason is needed for loving" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist
 
"it was the pure language of the world. it required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. what the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that, with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. he was more certain of it than of anything in the world. he had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall in love and really know a person before becoming committed. but maybe people who felt that way had never learned the universal language. because, when you know that language, it's easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it's in the middle of the desert or in the middle of some great storm. and when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. there is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. it is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. without such love, one's dreams would have no meaning" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist

"and, in that mood, he was grateful to be in love. when you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought" ― paulo coelho, the alchemist
 
"love is prayerfulness groping toward godliness. love is poetry born out of the sheer joy of being. love is song, dance, celebration: a song of gratitude, a dance of thankfulness, celebration for no reason at all, for this tremendous gift that goes on showering on us, for this whole universe, from the dust to the divine" ― osho, the power of love  
 
"love is not a relationship, love is a state of being; it has nothing to do with anybody else. one is not "in love", one is love. and of course when one is love, one is in love–but that is an outcome, a by-product, that is not the source. the source is that one is love" ― osho, the secret of secrets
 
"some lives form a perfect circle, others take shape in ways we cannot predict or always understand. loss has been part of my journey. but it has also shown me what is precious. so has love for which i can only be grateful" ― nicholas sparks, message in a bottle 
 
"what a great thing, to be loved! what a greater thing still, to love! the heart becomes heroic though passion…if no one loved, the sun would go out" ― victor hugo, les miserables
 
"love is a portion of the soul itself...and it's of the same nature as the celestial breathing of the atmosphere of paradise" ― victor hugo, les miserables  
 
“all suffering is caused by one belief....the belief in separation from our one love" ― vivian amis, realization of oneness 
 
“one love, one heart, one destiny" ― bob marley, one love 
 
"you soak up my soul and mingle me. each drop of my blood cries out to the earth. we are partners, blended as one" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved  
 
"you have breathed new life into me...
after this storm surrounding us
i have become your sunshine
and also your shadow
my soul is screaming in ecstasy
every fiber of my being
is raining down in love
with you in the light" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved 
 
"in your light, i learn how to love. in your beauty, how to make poems. you dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes i do, and that sight becomes this art" ― jalaluddin rumi, hush don't say anything to god   
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"i was born into this body, and i said aloha to this world...but where was she? the memory of her mystery cried aloha in my veins, awakening inside me the memories of my soul through the millennia. her soul deep love cried aloha to me in dreams for 50 years. i called out to her with every fiber of my existence. only there she was, and yet wasn't. she existed, but i could only feel her in my heart and know with certainty that somewhere she was longing for me too..." ― bodhinku, aloha  
 
this impression was captured in one single exposure taken just after the sunset on a beach on the south shore of kauai, hawaii at 6:59pm hst on april 14, 2022 (f/11@14mm for 1 sec, iso-64)
 
in my photography, i always use filters to create longer exposure effects, saturate colors naturally, and balance the light in my composition in-camera...i often use as many as four filters at time, and i always use at least one filter in my completed impressions...
 
to get the effects and balance i was looking for in this composition (f/11@14mm for 1 sec, iso-64), i used two progreyusa titan filters along with the progrey g-150z holder to secure these filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens ... 
 
first, a 1.8 nd progrey titan filter to bring the light in the image down 6 stops and permit for the 1 second exposure in a bright scene which naturally saturates all the red, green, and blue (rgb) colors in the image...
 
combined with the second filter, a 0.9 gnd progrey titan filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it...in this case, to stop down the much brighter light in the sky, the bright sunset light, an extra three stops and help permit fine details in the sand and shadows on the shore in the background (right side) to come out better in the exposure... 
 
i wish to openly thank my sponsors who have always supported me through both the good and bad times...for truly this long exposure impression would not be possible without the use of my induro phq3 series 5-way panhead with the induro (now benro) stealth carbon fiber tripod in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"you were blessed with 84,600 seconds today, have you used one of them to say thank you?" ― bodhinku, blessed
 
"if nothing else...if i open my eyes, if i hope, if i cry, if i think, if i sigh, if i giggle, if i dance, if i love, if i breathe, then i have lived a full days worth of life...nothing is wasted, nothing" ― bodhinku, if nothing else
 
"i do not want you to just be into my photography, instead, i'd much rather you take a journey into my pictures, and feel the impression i have created, feel it with all your senses" ― bodhinku, into my photography
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary 
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty, content to be completely incomplete. stop the rush. slow down time. breathe and notice. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. hush. relax. seize this higher moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colours of light whisper as they envelope you. see the melody and harmony that float about unnoticed. taste the solitude of all this wonderment. smell the beautiful silence. now discover your peaceful serenity. then, reach out and touch your faith with all your senses. this is my world. awaken!" ― bodhinku, my world
 
i leave you today wishing that bright joy 
and spiritual peace fill your life...
imploring you to make every moment count, 
no matter what, always and forever, 
for that is the only thing that truly matters... 
  
and above all else,
i hope this message and impression find you well.
namaste,
bodhi
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please visit me at:

http://www.bodhismith.com
http://www.instagram.com/bodhismith
http://www.facebook.com/Bodhi.Impressions

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