Fluye by Bodhi Smith

Oct 16, 2020

"fluye" a brand new impression and blog from me...
 
"you are the flowing water i want to keep falling for, over and over" ― bodhinku, fluye (flowing) 
 
"the ever present river was the reminder of the ticking of time and distance that devoured the seconds in between. but oh, how he loved that echo of a heart that pounded against his body while a waterfall of feelings dropped into his veins. could he stay there always (he pondered), in that pool below where the calm flow of familiar warmth spread through him and his heart beat happily away in his chest? could there be a place for him among those waters? could it be the river that led him home to his heart?" ― c. ara campbell (with additions by bodhinku), calm flow  
 
"sometimes, wet is love. love that's flowing free. free is the feeling i feel deep inside me. come and see that wet is me" ― barbra steisand, wet    
 
"all these things are part of awakening: letting go, trust, surrender, love, acceptance, going with the flow, union with existence, egolessness, ecstasy...all these are part of it, and all these start happening if you learn the ways of relaxation" ― osho, the hidden splendor 
    
"colors and light glow in your eyes, reflecting in me anywhere i go. always entwined with the deepest roots into my thoughts, into my heart, into my spirit. we are never apart, never alone. for you are my essence flowing free"― bodhinku, my essence
 
"you are my water, and i fall for you"― bodhinku, water 
 
a song about the flowing of life i have chosen today, it is a wonderfully upbeat reggae/ska tune with ideal complimentary lyrics (words are in spanish, however, i have translated them into english below for all as well), it is the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the meaning of my impression and blog today: "fluye (flowing)" by gondwana ...(just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....

"caminando a paso lento, ahora no existe el tiempo. despertando en un mundo verdadero, tu sabes que esta en ti. caminando siempre atento, de esa señal que se lleva adentro. es solo seguir, todo esta en ti, no busques allá afuera. oh, oh, oh, fluye ahora y nada mas. oh, oh, oh, tu sabes quien te acompaña. todo lo que haces se devuelve. todo final depende del inicio. sabes a que lado debes estar. libera tu mente no te confundas más. en este mundo lleno de ilusión, lleno de oro sin valor. persigue siempre la simplicidad. libera tu mente no te confundas más. oh, oh, oh, fluye ahora y nada mas. oh, oh, oh, tu sabes quien te acompaña. y así­, la vida te dará bendicion, esta en ti, debes mantener el equilibrio...ya lo veras, que cada puerta se te abrirá. la llave en tu corazon esta. búscala. oh, oh, oh, fluye ahora y nada mas. oh, oh, oh, tu sabes quien te acompaña. ahora sigue siempre así, recuerda en tu camino ser feliz y cuando menos tu lo esperes, la luz de dios quizá llegue" ― gondwana, fluye 
 
english translation:
"walking at a slow pace, now there is no time. waking up in a real world, you know what is in you. always walking attentive, of that sign that is carried inside. it's just to follow, everything is in you, don't look out there. oh oh oh, flowing now and nothing else. oh, oh, oh, you know who accompanies you. everything you do is returned. all end depends on the beginning. you know which side you should be on. free your mind, don't get confused anymore. in this world full of illusion full of worthless gold always pursue simplicity. free your mind, don't get confused anymore. oh oh oh, flowing now and nothing else. oh, oh, oh, you know who accompanies you. and so, life will give you blessing, it's up to you, you must keep your balance on and on, and on, and on forever eh eh eh eh eh. you will see, that every door will open to you. the key is in your heart. look it up. oh oh oh, flowing now and nothing else. oh, oh, oh, you know who accompanies you. now it always goes on like this, remember on your way to be happy and when you least expect it, god's light will come" ― gondwana, fluye 
 
"the sensuous person is liquid, flowing, fluid. in each thing they experience, they become it. listening to music, they are music, listening to the sound of water, they become that sound. when the wind passes through a bamboo grove, they become the wind and the bamboo. upon seeing a sunset, they are the sunset. seeing the night, starry night, beautiful silent darkness, they become the stars and darkness. seeing the sunrise in the morning, they become the sunlight. they are all that life is. they taste life from every nook and corner, hence they become rich. this is real richness" ― osho, the secret of secrets     

“you wonder why you can’t see me,
sense me, feel me…?
when you are outpouring your emotion,
it is like me trying to climb up a waterfall
to get to you.
but if you are calm and have faith in me,
i can sail right over to you
on the still waters of your soul” ― kate mcgahan, an afterlife story of loss, love and renewal
 
"water that never moves--it's fine for a little while. you can drink from it and it'll sustain you. but if it sits too long, it goes bad. it grows stale. i need waves. i need waterfalls. i want rushing currents" ― tahereh mafi, ignite me 
 
"water that is flowing is free. water that is flowing has no fear of falling. water that is flowing runs its course. water that is flowing has a clean clarity. water that is flowing does not freeze...be like the flowing water, and live a life that is flowing" ― bodhinku, flowing water

"in the delicate dance of the waterfall, falling free is the most wonderful thing" ― bodhinku, falling free 
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MEANING
"listen to the wisdom of the waterfall: let things fall as they need to be, and flow where they need to go...fall into its rhythmic silence, and flow into its peaceful melody" ― bodhinku, flow into   

"fluye" is the spanish word directly translated into english as "flow", or "flowing"...and obviously pictured here is a beautiful scene with a creek's water flowing into a waterfall and off a giant cliff  into the abyss below...
 
of course, my true meaning is much more deeper than just that...
 
during the years since 2016 up until the start of 2020, exactly that above had been the metaphor of my life: things would be going along great, just like a fairytale, flowing nicely, and then out of nowhere drama would hit, chaos would ensue, and i would find myself hurling in rapids cascading off a precipice into the darkness below, left buried and drowning in the madness i let my life become...i could not breath freely, always struggling to keep my head above water, struggling to make sense of all the lies and illusions i thought were reality...
 
in early february 2020 i took a stand, and i stepped back away from all the deceitful craziness...i decided things were just not working in my life. decided some people just are not who they appear to be with blinded eyes. i was so lonely and deflated, depressed all the time, seldom finding joy in anything other than in my photography, in my meditations, and in spending time with besos, my doggie...so, my life then transitioned into a six month holding pattern paralleling the insanity of the covid19 pandemic...
 
then things came to a head...this summer on my birthday in july, i finally realized i had been just a dumb jackass, fooled by a succubus, so i cut loose the unreachable carrot dangling out in front of me. i woke up from the fake reality that had engaged me. i rubbed my eyes of the false hopes and unanswered aspirations. i snapped myself out of the spell, rose up, awaken by the truth. 
 
i decided to abandon all the negative energy and toxic emotions surrounding me...so, i walked away from everything in my life that was not working. walked away from everything bringing me down, killing my self esteem and confidence. walked away from anyone narcissistic, selfish, controlling, and uncompromising. walked away from all the manipulation. walked away from being misguided by untruths and omissions...
 
i decided to walk a path towards attainable dreams and real truth. i decided i would only fill my life with people who do not try to keep me hidden, people who will share their entire world with me without conditions or expectations...
 
"walking at a slow pace, now there is no time. waking up in a real world, you know what is in you. always walking attentive, of that sign that is carried inside. it's just to follow, everything is in you, don't look out there...flowing now and nothing else....you know who accompanies you" ― gondwana, fluye     
 
fast forward to mid-august 2020, an unexpected angel came to me and entered my life. and since then, my god how things are so different for the better now. my life is now positive flowing energy. life is calm. life is real and honest, full of truth, there is clarity again. life is hope, all the obstacles to my dreams are gone. life is freedom. life is happiness without lunacy...my head is in the clouds, but my feet are grounded firmly. and most importantly, i can breath again freely. my life is like free-flowing water anew...
 
now if my life flows down a river and off a cliff as a waterfall, i see adventure and fun, beauty and excitement, instead of deception and bewilderment ...now i just want to let life be, go with the flow, enjoy falling down the waterfalls of adrenaline, along with relaxing later in the calming pools at the bottom...no worries about where things will go, and just let it happen, let it flow freely, breathe, live, love, and enjoy this new peaceful flowing happiness now filling up my life...
 
the waterfall has ended for me. i am now out of this picture's frame...and where i am, you cannot see, only imagine. i have dropped out of sight below the falls, someplace where my river is only a calming positive flow...now i am free flowing, loving life one day at a time, living life one moment at a time...
 
"you are the glow on the waves in a river that flows like dreams through my being, falling deeply down into my soul, pooling in my heart for always" ― bodhinku, the glow that flows 
   
and here is another beyond beautiful love song, read the lyrics and you will be able to connect this tune to my current feelings, and everything that's happening in my world with all these signs currently being sent to me from the universe, signs which are just too impossible to ignore...here is a song sung so sweetly and seductively by the lovely barbra steisand, she is truly of of the greatest musical icons of my lifetime..."wet" by barbra steisand ...(just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....  
 
"wet is rain. rain is clean and new. new is the morning, and morning dew. wet is a kiss that touches you. wet is sea. sea is mysterious blue. blue is for sadness, and sad is for crying. tears are wet too. would you share these things with me? dance in the rain. drift with the sea. and let the tears fall as they wade...sometimes, i'm not afraid to melt in the rain. i'm not afraid to be lost at sea. i'm not afraid to cry again. because it's tears of joy you bring to me. would you share these things with me? dance in the rain. drift with the sea. and let the tears fall as they wade...sometimes, wet is love. love that's flowing free. free is the feeling i feel deep inside me. come and see that wet is me" ― barbra steisand, wet     

"you are the singing poem of
seasons flowing into my soul:

spring is filled with
wonderful blossoms of your giggles,
making me smile and dance.

summer is filled with
glowing radiance bounding in your eyes,
bringing joy and life to my world.

autumn is filled with
colorful leaves of your desires
falling into me, exciting me.
 
winter is filled with
a warming blanket of your soft skin
covering me in love's embraces.

in every season
you become
part of me,
the art always
in my heart
flowing through me,
reflecting into me" ― bodhinku, flowing seasons
 
"free flowing visions of beauty, free flowing love, free of jealousy, free of lies...she is my free flowing smiles, she is my breath of fresh air and a free flowing happy life"― bodhinku, free flowing
 
"perpetually i have thoughts of her flowing through me, visions of her sticking in my mind, free falling across all time and space in love" ― bodhinku, flowing
----------------------
 
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...
 
"space is merely an infinity of tiny particles flowing through time...so what is few days versus eternity?"― bodhinku, flowing through time
  
"i'm aware of only one single undeniable truth about my being: that i am full of love...those things i love get every single drop of my passion, and when taken collectively, they create the waterfall that makes me live" ― bodhinku, truth
  
"i am recharged by going out into nature and seeing water playfully creating nature's most beautiful moments, i am lucky to be able to capture them for other to see and share, i am lucky to have such a record of my beautiful memories of water, memories that make me live" ― bodhinku, water
 
"love, like water, pacifies the soul, the spirit, and the body, take a sip of its life, and live again" ― bodhinku, pacify
 
"there is something so peaceful and beautiful in the flowing and entrancing movements of the waterfall, embracing gravity in a dance of love" ― bodhinku, flowing and entrancing 
 
"you know that pool of water at the bottom the cascade? deep, cool blue, and constantly refreshed, i sink down into it, i want to stay forever in this water" ― bodhinku, forever pool  
 
"you do not have to be standing before an amazing waterfall, or at the edge of a beautiful canyon, or under a canopy of glowing stars in order to realize what a wonderful life you have...for, in every moment of your life the universe is whispering to you, just silence the noise and listen carefully to the wisdom" ― bodhinku, listen to the whispers   
 
"words fall so softly from his lips with a meaning only she could hear and know, as he whispers: like a wanting waterfall flowing into the river, i am falling into you. in our union, i become part of you forever" ― bodhinku, whispers fall 
    
"we are this waterfall...above us, the sun also rises. its light-rays glow down into us, warming me, illuminating my thoughts. my mouth opens and whispers fall like water from me into your awaiting ears, hydrating your soul with my nourishment, of hope, of love, of knowing we have each other... and we're falling and falling, slowly washing away our fears with each drop, transforming them into excitement bounding and dancing down and down...then, leveling out with calmer waters, flowing away into new adventures, new paths, together as one fluid being, whispering in beauty, while s-curves are made of smiles" ― bodhinku, we are the waterfall 
 
"there is a hushed beauty echoed in the melody of a waterfall, as water drops whisper to each other while they fall" ― bodhinku, whispering water 
 
"you are my waterfall music, i want to have your falling waters massage me in rhythm and cover every inch of me in melody" ― bodhinku, waterfall music    
----------------------
 
STORY BEHIND THIS IMPRESSION
 "people ask me about how i create my images. i tell them i just step into it. it's like stepping into a river and joining the flow. every moment in the river has its own art" ― bodhinku, joining the flow 
 
pictured here is a waterfall i visited in mid-july last summer on a 11,111 mile cross country trip with my doggie, besos, we had so much fun on our trip together, we hiked over 200 miles and saw so many beautiful things...i just drove and drove to wherever i felt, just driving and stopping whenever i needed to or saw something worth seeing (just like forest gump on his run across the country), visiting with people along the way, until i came to the atlantic ocean, where i turned north until i came to the canadian border, where i turned west and drove along the border until i came to the pacific ocean, where i headded south back homeward to san diego...
 
along our journey, we got to experience a plethora of beauty: waterfalls, beaches, lighthouses, lakes, mountains, trees, rivers, canyons, piers, monuments, flowers...while we were passing through tennessee, we stopped by this marvelous waterfall...it's such an eloquent cascade that drops off a tree lined red-rock cliff in a free fall to the ground 200ft below. i captured this photo in the morning hours just after the park opened at 8am cst...
 
many of you know that i have studied art history extensively, and that my photography is deeply affected by the artworks of my favorite painters...the famous portrait painting "girl with a pearl earing" by dutch artist jan vermeer (click here to see the famous painting) has always had a profound influence on me...and my impression here of "fluye" literally shows that deep connection i have always had for vermeer's masterpiece...my composition is so very similar with the ways the light strikes his painting subject as to how it falls through mine...the waterfall in my image is also a nice parallel to the flowing gold turban the girl is wearing covering her hair in vermeer's composition...
 
"live your own path, do not follow or copy the mainstream, be unique, be extra-ordinary, live like a waterfall falling up" ― bodhinku, backwards waterfall  
 
"nothing can help me but that beauty. i drank water from your spring, and felt your waterfall take me” ― jalaluddin rumi, bridge to the soul  
 
"you are water, whirling water, yet still water trapped within. come, submerge yourself within us, we who are the flowing stream" ― jalaluddin rumi, a year with rumi    
 
"love, like life, flows through the heart...feel the thrill of the flow, and say nothing" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
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MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
and here is another song with wonderfully perfect lyrics to accompany my impression and blog's meaning today: "flowing" by 311 ...(just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....
 
"along the way to close my eyes, i lost where i was going. the more it will spin, the more that i try to stop my mind flowing away, away to all that i despise along the way to close my eyes...you can't be let down if you don't expect the world. expect to lay awake there by your sleeping girl. if somebody cares, then there is no way you can tell. cursed consciousness it's your private hell, along the way to close my eyes...i lost where i was going. the more it will spin the more that i try to stop my mind flowing away, away to all that i despise along the way to close my eyes...tick tick tick the clock bludgeons your mind endlessly replaying times that were unkind. go away sun, i'm not prepared for you today. it seems you are, it seems you are...along the way to close my eyes, i lost where i was going. the more it will spin, the more that i try to stop my mind flowing away, away to all that i despise along the way to close my eyes" ― 311, flowing
 
"the river is everywhere at once, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the rapids, in the sea, in the mountains, everywhere at once, and that there is only the present time for it, not the shadow of the past, not the shadow of the future" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha
 
"all of the waters hastened, suffering, towards goals, many goals: to the waterfall, to the sea, to the current, to the ocean waves and all goals were reached and each one was succeeded by another. the water turned into vapor and rose, became rain and came down again, became spring, brook and river, changed anew, flowed anew" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha  
 
"when you dig a well, there's no sign of water until you reach it, only rocks and dirt to move out of the way. when you have removed enough; soon the pure water will flow"" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha 
 
"our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" ― confucius  
 
"time flows away like the water in the river" ― confucius
   
"water is fluid, soft and yielding. but water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield...what is soft and dainty, is strong...be like water" ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. let reality be reality. let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like" ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
“nothing under heaven
is as yielding as water.
and yet in attacking the hard,
the unyielding,
nothing can surpass it.
nothing is more patient.
nothing can take its place.
the weak overcomes the strong,
the soft surpasses the hard.
in all the world, there’s no one
who doesn’t know this,
but no one can master the practice.” ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free...stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. this is the ultimate" ― zhuangzi  
  
"life is like water. things in life don't necessarily flow over the shortest possible route" ― mohandas mahatma gandhi    

"human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge" ― plato, phaedrus   
 
"the laws of gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. how on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. that's relativity" ― albert einstein 
 
"climb the mountains and get their good tidings. nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. the winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of autumn" ― john muir, the mountains of california
 
"music is that of the streams refined and spiritualized. the deep booming notes of the falls are in it, the trills of rapids, the gurgling of margin eddies, the low whispering of level reaches, and the sweet tinkle of separate drops oozing from the ends of mosses and falling into tranquil pools"  ― john muir, our national parks
 
“as long as i live, i'll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. i'll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. i'll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as i can" ― john muir, our national parks  
 
"i know of no sculpture, painting, or music that exceeds the compelling spiritual command of the soaring shape of granite cliff and dome, of patina of light on rock and forest, and of the thunder and whispering of the falling, flowing waters. at first the colossal aspect may dominate; then we perceive and respond to the delicate and persuasive complex of nature" ― ansel adams, yosemite
 
"still, a great deal of light falls on everything" ― vincent van gogh  
 
"cosmic time is the same for everyone, but human time differs with each person...time flows in the same way for all human beings, but bevery human being flows through time in a different way" ― salvador dali 
 
"as we walk toward one another, we meet each other in our true nakedness, our emotional armor falls to the ground, transforming into the light at its source. and when we are ready, we walk right up to each other and embrace in a hug, puzzled that we ever imagined ourselves separate" ― jeff brown (edited by bodhinku)    

"mystic one
threads of the universe
woven in your soul
wandering the ancient path
the rivers flow
within your shores
you are one
with the Earth
soil and seed alike
every ray that shines
are your fingers of light
moving through the shadows
each mountain cliff
a towering temple
carved of your bones
you are one with all
secrets of this world
moving in your blood
your heart whispers
singing your truth
to the skies"― c. ara campbell, are you a mystic?      

"perhaps all love stories didn’t need to be filled with impossible people to make a love true after all, she decided with a smile. only true people making a love possible" ― c. ara campbell, in the scatter of her stars    

"feed your soul...these shifts exist for more than just stress and shake up. they show up to show us what we are wanting more of in our lives, where happiness already exists and what we want to develop further...take the time during these shifting seas to pay attention to where you get your happiness from and the messages that are rising from your heart. with the new shifts, we can be given the chance to look with fresh eyes at old situations and this can create pathways to the seemingly impossible that we never dreamed...this is a time of allowing your deepest dreams and for having hope for the future. so open yourself to where you find joy, ease, comfort, love and peace. have some fun, laugh and be silly. not only does it feel amazing but it drops down the barriers that we can be holding up towards the shifts that are wanting to flow in...this time is teaching us that we can live our lives from a place of joy and happiness. when we reclaim doing things from a place that feels good we fuel the positive shifts that are incoming" ― c. ara campbell, shifting with a changing world    

"enough is enough. condemn the notion that femininity is fragile or inferior and condemn the notion that masculinity is toxic or harmful. feminine and masculine energies were designed to coexist in balance and harmony, and as individuals we all carry degrees of both. all those who attempt to sow division with their nonsense ideologies should be utterly ashamed of themselves. you are hurting our sons and daughters and that is unacceptable. there is a reason we are here on the earth in equal numbers. humanity is a flowing dance, and we are supposed to move with the music, flowing together"― beau taplin
 
"lovely one, your waist, my arm shaped it like a river when it flowed a thousand years through your sweet body, lovely one...lovely one, there is nothing like your hips, perhaps earth has in some hidden place the curve and the fragrance of your body, perhaps in some place, lovely one." ― pablo neruda, lovely one  

"body of my woman, i will persist in your grace.
my thirst, my boundless desire, my shifting road!
dark river-beds where the eternal thirst flows
and weariness follows, and the infinite ache" ― pablo neruda, 100 love sonnets
 
"all the loves in the world are like different rivers flowing into the same lake where they meet and are transformed into a single love that becomes rain and blesses the earth" ― paulo coelho, aleph  
 
"i receive your love and i give you mine...a love with no name and no explanation, like a river that cannot explain why it follows a particular course, but simply flows onwards. a love that asks for nothing and gives nothing in return; it is simply there. i will never be yours and you will never be mine; we will just be love" ― paulo coelho, eleven minutes  
 
"outer beauty is inner beauty made visible, and it manifests itself in the light that flows in our eyes" ― paulo coelho, manuscript found in accra    
 
"when you do act, be like the silent, flowing river and open yourself to a greater energy. believe, simply believe that you can" ― paulo coelho, the witch of portobello
 
"love and respect yourself and never compromise for anything. and then you will be surprised how much growth starts happening of its own accord...as if rocks have been removed and the river has started flowing" ― osho, book of wisdom
 
"a healthy man is not an entity; he is a process, a dynamic process. or we can say that a healthy man is not a noun but a verb, not a river but a rivering. he is continuously flowing in all dimensions, overflowing" ― osho, the responsibility of being oneself
 
"flow unconditionally with the unconscious wherever it leads" ― osho, awareness: the key to living in balance
 
"if you live consciously, if you try to bring consciousness to every act that you go through, you will be living in a silent, blissful state, in serenity, in joy, in love. your life will have the flavor of a festival. you will have an aura of delight. your life will be a song of life-affirmation. you will be in communion with stars, with the trees, with the rivers, with the mountains, with people, with animals. this whole life and this whole existence will have a totally different meaning for you. from every nook and corner, rivers of bliss will be flowing towards you" ― osho, love, freedom, aloneness
 
"remember: you cannot step in the same river twice, because it is always flowing" ― osho, come, come, yet again come  
 
"what are you doing? you are just giving energy to worthless fantasies. sometimes your mind is filled with useless illusions of this kind. the constant flow of dreams eats up a large amount of your energy. it is not for free! you purchase it at the cost of your life" ― osho, fear   
 
"a river remains clean because it goes on flowing" ― osho, zen: the path of paradox
 
"there is no point in making any fuss about it. either you drop the ego and all its companions: jealousy, domination, possessiveness...and then love flows and there is bliss, or, you cling to the ego. then love disappears, bliss disappears, god disappears, and your life is nothing but hell. the basic requirement is to be aware. the art of awareness becomes the art of love, becomes the art of bliss" ― osho, the book of nothing
 
"finally getting control of myself, i kissed her again, then brought my hand to her face, gently running my fingers over her cheek. i marveled at the softness of her skin, the gentleness i saw in her eyes. even now she was perfect. my throat began to tighten again. since i had to accept that it was not within my power to cure her, what i wanted to do was give her something that she'd wanted. it was what my heart had been telling me to do all along. i understood then, had already given me the answer i'd been searching for, the answer my heart needed to find. she smiled at me, i smiled softly, and she returned my affection with a slight squeeze of my hand, as if trusting me in what i was about to do. encouraged, i leaned closer and took a deep breath. when i exhaled, these were the words that flowed with my breath: will you marry me?" ― nicholas sparks, a walk to remember 
 
"no need to get down no need to get low in the flow. rastaman that speaketh love is what he preacheth in the flow. politicans fighting to stop i from lighting, but in harmony we'll smoke the tree in the flow, in the flow. what they really fighting is i-nity. love for one another equality in the flow, in the flow. ain't no need to worry, ain't no need to hurry in the flow. light up my fire, what is your desire in the flow? high science that teacheth, full moon that preacheth. still in reality getting high naturally in the flow, in the flow. what they really fighting is i-nity, love for one another equality, vibe. i'm in the flow yeah, vibe. no need to get down, no need to get low in the flow. rastaman that speaking and it's love that i'm preachin' in the flow. yow wah agwaan you nuh have nuttn' good deh. love my sister respect so what we get together nuhet some good vibes going in unity you know. no war, no drugs. in love and in harmony let us smoke this tree in the flow. yea sister go...ain't no need to worry, ain't no need to hurry..." ― ziggy marley, in the flow   
 
"but energy must flow somewhere...where energy meets obstructions, it burns...and if energy builds up beyond what a given individual can tolerate, it demands release. anger grows into rage, sorrow turns to despair, concern becomes obsession, and physical aches become agony. so energy can also be a curse. like a river, it can bring life, but untamed it can unleash a raging flood of destruction" ― dan millman, way of the peaceful warrior 
  
"i was a row of dots flowing randomly through the universe" ― douglas adams, the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy    
 
"time always flows at the opposite speed to the needs of the person living through it" ― don miguel ruiz, the four agreements  
 
"at this moment, you are seamlessly flowing with the cosmos. there is no difference between your breathing and the breathing of the rain forest, between your bloodstream and the world’s rivers, between your bones and the chalk cliffs of dover" ― deepak chopra, buddha 
 
"going with the flow is responding to cues from the universe. it's not about sitting back and waiting for things to happen. it's a mindful trust and complete collaboration with what is present here and now" ― deepak chopra, buddha
 
"put every effort into organizing your life, but remember that the ultimate organizer is nature. don't try to steer the river. when nature is most productive and creative, she does not work...she plays. likewise, the best work flows from us effortlessly. putting up resistance to life ultimately never succeeds. allow the gifts of spirit to come to you" ― deepak chopra, buddha
 
"in the depth of my soul, there are songs unwilling to take the garb of words, songs living as seed in my heart. they will not flow with ink onto paper. like a translucent veil, they are wrapped about emotions that can never flow sweetly on my tongue...yet how can i even whisper them when i fear what the particles of air may do to them? to whom shall i sing them when they have become accustomed to live in the house of my soul and fear the harshness of other ears? were you to look into my eyes, you would see the image of their image. were you to touch my fingertips, you would feel their quick movements. the works of my hands reveal them as the lake reflects the twinkling of the stars...my tears disclose them as the mystery of the rose petal is disclosed at the moment the heat dissolves the drops of dew when that rose withers" ― khalil gibran, the prophet  
 
"the death of a dream can in fact serve as the vehicle that endows it with new form, with reinvigorated substance, a fresh flow of ideas, and splendidly revitalized color" ― aberjhani, elemental: the power of illuminated love 
 
"if i say your voice is an amber waterfall in which i yearn to burn each day, if you eat my mouth like a mystical rose with powers of healing and damnation, if i confess that your body is the only civilization i long to experience…would it mean that we are close to knowing something about love?"― aberjhani, visions of a skylark dressed in black   
 
"the river brings down its gushing nature from the mountain-top that gives it birth, but it acquires its distinctiveness from the contour of the land through which it flows. the same is the case with love. on the one hand, there is the inner feeling, on the other, the conflict with outward circumstances. it is the combination of these two factors that gives the complete picture its individuality" ― rabindranath tagore
 
"her gaze lingers along the lines of my body, long enough to strike a match to the lighter fluid flowing in my veins. i ignite." ― tahereh mafi, ignite me    
 
"witnessing is not flowing with the current of the river but observing the flow from the bank of the river" ― amit ray, world peace  
 
"burdened no more is soul for whom life flows through dance and not breath" ― shah asad rizvi   
 
"a woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. she goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination, prepared to be herself, and only herself" ― maya angelou
 
"i keep my gratitude in my smile, a glistening waterfall in the sun, gently splashing at that person, who made me happy for some reason" ― sanober khan, a thousand flamingos    
 
"no mistake about it. ice is cold; roses are red; i'm in love. and this love is about to carry me off somewhere. the current's too overpowering; i don't have any choice. it may very well be a special place, some place i've never seen before. danger may be lurking there, something that may end up wounding me deeply, fatally. i might end up losing everything. but there's no turning back. i can only go with the flow. even if it means i'll disappear, be gone forever" ― haruki marukami, sputnik sweetheart  
 
"the point is, not to resist the flow. you go up when you're supposed to go up and down when you're supposed to go down. when you're supposed to go up, find the highest tower and climb to the top. when you're supposed to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom. when there's no flow, stay still. if you resist the flow, everything dries up. if everything dries up, the world is darkness" ― haruki murakami, the wind-up bird chronicle 
 
"a genuine relationship is one that is not dominated by the ego with its image-making and self-seeking. in a genuine relationship, there is an outward flow of open, alert attention toward the other person in which there is no wanting whatsoever" ― eckhart tolle, practicing the power of now  
 
"as soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. when you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love...even the most simple action" ― eckhart tolle, practicing the power of now 
  
"the idea that god is an oversized white male with a flowing beard, who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous. but if by god one means the set of flowing physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a god. but it does not make much sense to pray to the law of gravity" ― carl sagan, pale blue dot  
 
"the magnetism that swirls in the sky, land, and sea, are the exact same currents found twirling in the electric ocean within me...i am a moving vessel of energy. and if my emotions do not fow up, down, within and around, then i am not alive" ― suzy kassem, rise up and salute the sun 
 
"creativity is the most supreme form of love. when it flows from any heart flooded by truth and light, it can change all those who encounter its seductive vibrations" ― suzy kassem, rise up and salute the sun 
 
"when you go against the flow of nature and betray the spiritual laws existing within, there will always be a negative reaction" ― suzy kassem, rise up and salute the sun 
 
"i want to love you wildly. i don’t want words, but inarticulate cries, meaningless, from the bottom of my most primitive being, that flow from my belly like honey. a piercing joy, that leaves me empty, conquered, silenced" ― anais nin, henry and june 
   
"anger is like water flowing over a cascade; there's nothing wrong with it, as long as you let it flow. hate is like stagnant water; anger that you denied yourself the freedom to feel, the freedom to flow; water that you gathered in one place and left to forget. stagnant water becomes dirty, stinky, disease-ridden, poisonous, deadly; that is your hate. on flowing water travels little paper boats; paper boats of forgiveness. allow yourself to feel anger, allow your waters to flow, along with all the paper boats of forgiveness. be human" ― c. joybell c.  
 
"i believe in going with the flow. i don't believe in fighting against the flow. you ride on your river and you go with the tides and the flow. but it has to be your river, not someone else's. everyone has their own river, and you don't need to swim, float, sail on their's, but you need to be in your own river and you need to go with it" ― c. joybell c.  
 
"she kissed me until the sensations flowed in directions i couldn’t go, spilling and sliding darkly" ― lisa kleypas, love in the afternoon  
 
"he lends his pen, to thoughts of her, that flow from it, in his solitary...for he is his poet, and she is her poetry" ― lang leav, love & misadventure   
 
"i will remember the kisses, our lips raw with love, and how you gave me everything you had and how i offered you what was left of me. and i will remember your small room, the feel of you, the light in the window, your records, your books, our morning coffee, our noons, our nights, our bodies spilled together, sleeping, the tiny flowing currents, immediate and forever. your leg my leg, your arm my arm, your smile and the warmth of you, who made me laugh again." ― charles bukowski
 
"it's so easy to reach your heart bouncing with me. going back to the start. if you need me, just let me know. i'm in your flow, it's so easy to reach your heart talking to me until the new morning starts. if you see me, just let me know. i'm in your flow...flow...i'm in your flow...it's so easy to hold your heart. fallen for me. going back to the start. if you feel me, just let me know. i'm in your flow. it's so easy to own your heart. can you show me something good 'bout to start? if you see me, just let me know, i'm in your flow, i'm in your flow, i'm in your flow (i'm in your flow)....hold up your love, hold up your love...i'm in your flow. i'm in your flow (i'm in your flow)...it's so easy to reach your heart dancing with me, going back to the start. if you need me, just let me know. i'm in your flow" ― moglii, flow  
 
"there's a flow to life...you win, you lose. people come, people go. there are smiles, there are tears. it's a cycle we don't control the details of; only how we respond...and in this cycle of change, i have noticed that there is a clearing of space, which i sometimes view as things falling apart, that comes before something great happens" ― steve maraboli, unapologetically you
 
"this magical universe is so faithful in waiting for us to get out of our own way. no matter how long you have gone astray, when you take action, the universe moves to support the act. move in the direction of your goals and watch the magic flow" ― steve maraboli, unapologetically you
 
"life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts or happenings. it consist mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever flowing through one's head" ― mark twain, the adventures of tom sawyer   
 
"what i want in my life is compassion, a flow between myself and others based on a mutual giving from the heart" ― ernest hemingway, the sun also rises
 
"dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows" ― henry david thoreau, walden  
 
"wherever snow falls, or water flows, or birds fly, wherever day and night meet in twilight, wherever the blue heaven is hung by clouds, or sown with stars, wherever are forms with transparent boundaries, wherever are outlets into celestial space, wherever is danger, and awe, and love, there is beauty, plenteous as rain, shed for thee, and though thou shouldest walk the world over, thou shalt not be able to find a condition inopportune or ignoble" ― ralph waldo emerson   
 
"resisting change is like getting one thought stuck in your head and refusing to move on with the flow of life...we call that insanity" ― ralph waldo emerson   
 
"i am rooted, but i flow" ― virginia woolf, the waves  
 
"there's no earthly way of knowing which direction we are going. there's no knowing where we're rowing or which way the river's flowing. is it raining, is it snowing? is a hurricane a-blowing? not a speck of light is showing, so the danger must be growing. are the fires of hell a-glowing? is the grisly reaper mowing? yes! the danger must be growing for the rowers keep on rowing and they're certainly not showing any signs that they are slowing!" ― roald dahl, charlie and the chocolate factory 
 
"words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither wildly as they slip away across the universe. pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind, possessing and caressing me. images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes, they call me on and on across the universe" ― john lennon  
 
"oh dark grin, he can't help when he's happy he looks insane. even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies. oh he don't know, so he chases them away" ― pearl jam, even flow   
 
"do not go with the flow. be the flow" ― elif shafak, the forty rules of love  
 
"be wild; that is how to clear the river. the river does not flow in polluted, we manage to do it. the river does not dry up, we block it. if we want to allow it its freedom, we have to allow our ideational lives to be let loose, to stream, letting anything come, initially censoring nothing. that is creative life. it is made up of divine paradox. to create one must be willing to be stone stupid, to sit upon a throne on top of a jackass and spill rubies from one’s mouth. then the river will flow, then we can stand in the stream of the waterfall raining down" ― clarissa pinkola estes, women who run with the wolves
 
"when you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. it is an impossibility. it is even a lie to pretend to. and yet this is exactly what most of us demand. we have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. we leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. we are afraid it will never return. we insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity...in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern...the only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. relationships must be like islands, one must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits...islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides" ― anne morrow lindbergh, gift from the sea  
 
"we lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course" ― arthur golden, memoirs of a geisha  
 
“mountain-rose petals
falling, falling, falling now...
waterfall music” ― basho, japanese haiku  
 
"love is the why of life, why we are functioning at all. i am convinced it is the fundamental energy of the human spirit. the fuel on which we run, the wellspring of our vitality. and grace, which is the flowing creative activity of love itself, is what makes all goodness possible...love should come first. it should be the beginning of, and the reason for everything" ― gerald may, living in love 
 
“mother nature loves courage. dream the impossible dream and the she will lift you up. this is what all those teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. this is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. this is how magic is done. by hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it's a feather bed” ―terence mckenna, food of the gods
 
"she is free in her wildness, she is a wanderess, a drop of free water. she knows nothing of borders and cares nothing for rules or customs. time for her isn’t something to fight against. her life flows clean, with passion, like fresh water" ― roman payne  
 
"beauty creates its own troubles. you look at a waterfall or an ocean or a sunset, and you find yourself wanting to share it with someone” ― matt haig, the humans
 
"water does not resist. water flows. when you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. but water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. water is patient. dripping water wears away a stone. remember that, my child. remember you are more than half water. if you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. water does" ― margaret atwood, the penelopiad
 
“i run on the grass and moss covered landscape, my birds flying along side, and of, me. the thick fog caresses the hills and pours itself slowly, sensuously, down the gentle slopes. the twilight stars remind me: "time to dance.". the drums build, echo, reflect my beating heart. a waterfall appears. i like it...i think i will keep it. tree's sprout up. they have leaves that don't die when they change colour. the colours reflect my innocence and whimsy. i like them. i think i will keep them" ― cheri bauer, the spark (of a muse)
 
“the water represents your nonstop stream of consciousness, which consists mostly of “me, me, me” thoughts. mindfulness is the area behind the waterfall, which allows you to step out of the cascade and view your urges, impulses, and desires without getting caught up in it all” ― jeff warren, meditation for fidgety skeptics
 
“there's a hidden message in every waterfall. it says, if you are flexible, falling will not hurt you” ― mehmet murat ildan
 
"his beauty was hard to fix or to see, for he was always glimmering, flickering, melting, mixing, he was the shape of a shapeless flame, he was the eddying thread of needle-shapes in the shapeless mass of the waterfall. he was the invisible wind that hurried the clouds in billows and ribbons..."― a.s. byatt, ragnarok
 
“dinner and a movie? forget that. i'd rather have a picnic and a waterfall” ― amanda grace, but i love him
 
"i am lost in your eyes
i lam ost in chanting of birds
i flow myself with waterfalls
i fly with bluish clouds
i drowned with gold fishes
i was resting with the sea shells
i was lost- lost- lost
suddenly i open my eyes
still i found this world
so colourful and golden
i just feel my present moments
so close so close with me
i fall in love with them” ― ramesh kavdia
 
“unable to perceive the shape of you, i find you flowing all around me. your presence fills my eyes with your love, it humbles my heart, for you are everywhere.” ― guillermo del toro, the shape of water 
 
"be like water making its way through cracks. do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. if nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. empty your mind, be formless. shapeless, like water. if you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. you put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. now, water can flow or it can be trapped. be free-flowing water, my friend" ― bruce lee   
 
"life's waters flow from darkness, search the darkness, don't run from it" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
"move outside the tangle of fear-thinking. live in silence. flow down and down in always widening rings of being" ― jalaluddin rumi, bridge to the soul  
 
"not only the thirsty seek the water, the water as well seeks the thirsty" ― jalaluddin rumi, in the arms of the beloved
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"the waterfall has ended for me. i am now out of this picture's frame...and where i am, you cannot see, only imagine. i have dropped out of sight below the falls, someplace where my river is only a calming positive flow...now i am free flowing, loving life one day at a time, living life one moment at a time"― bodhinku, free flowing  
 
in my photography, i always use filters to create longer exposure effects and to 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...for this exposure, to get the effects and balance i was looking for, i used two progreyusa filters in the capture of this composition...
 
this composition is comprised of a single exposure, captured at f/8 for 8 seconds at 8:08am on 07-16-2019 and was not merged with any other exposures like i often do with my photography to achieve the perfect lighting of the entire scene...
 
and for this impression, i chose to use a 0.9 gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it, and stop down the much brighter upper part of the composition from the rising sun, about 3 stops brighter than the rest of my impression, along with the 3.0nd progrey antarctica filter to significantly stop down the morning light and permit the mildly long exposure time of 8sec so as to create the smoothing effects of the water in the waterfall, plus naturally saturate all of the red, green colors and earthy colors in-camera...and to hold those filters in place, i used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to hold both filters and secure it to my nikon d810 mounted with a nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens (shot at 70mm in a portrait orientation)...
 
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 faithful induro phq3 series 5-way panhead mounted on my dolica tripod 70" carbon fiber tripod, in combination with the progreyusa filters which i use with every photo i take...
 
"if nothing else...if i open my eyes, 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
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty. stop the world. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. relax. seize this moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the colors 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
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary  
 
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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