"Futuro" by Bodhi Smith

Apr 21, 2023

 
need the reason as to why,
 
​look up at the stars in the sky.
 
know you're looking into the past,
 
​with the present spinning by so fast...
 
and no matter what you do,
 
the future's up there too
 
somewhere in the milky way...
 
but the road to our one day,
 
soon you'll become well aware,
 
can't be found high up there...
 
for the pathway is only in your heart,
 
and today's the best place to start.
 
 
 
MY THOUGHTS
if you ever get to stay in one of these nostalgic flying saucer futuro homes, you can see how both the past and future can both be part of the present...it was built back in the 1960's when the world had its dreams on space exploration and that became a huge part of pop culture with lost in space and the jetsons as popular television shows at the time. made of "space age" materials straight from science fiction with an interior designed like it came right out of stanley kubrik's 2001: a space odyssey film in 1968, the little futuro house seemed like it was gonna be the wave of the future...
 
but the future happened, and for numerous reasons piled one-on-top-of-the-other, the futuro home did not take off like a spaceship, it did not make it in the present that was the 1970's, so the futuro home quickly became a thing of the past, a memory of a different era in a different time...
 
today 50 years later, the futuro house is a blast from the past...they're now just rare space oddities, forgotten curiosities from a time long gone away...lucky for people like me, there's still one here in southern california in which to marvel...and you can rent it out and stay in a flying saucer for the night and do some glamping out in the high desert just north of joshua tree...(it's pretty much booked out for the next year at $460USD/night, but you can try to get a reservation here: area 55 futuro house joshua tree airbnb.)
 
last month while i was visiting this neato little futuro house in j-tree under the spectacular starry night of the cool desert, i got to thinking: the past is the past, and the future is but a dream, and future is already here in reality before you know it…
 
do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment...the way is not in the sky. the way is in the heart ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha
 
the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams ― eleanor roosevelt
 
but man, do i have some beautiful dreams. and i believe they will lead me to a beautiful future, the very essence of the future i want to have one day (hopefully with her)...but i also know that one day will come and "the future will soon be a thing of the past." 
 
so living happens right now, in this moment, wasting no time, living through all the highs and lows--but more importantly, living through all the in-between moments. it's those which are the most abundant. it's in those minutes of life where most of our time is spent living and dying, so we must enjoy living those as the best possible version of ourselves, as real quality time...

they say, “you never know what the future holds”…well, i know with any luck,  hopefully i’m holding her and she's holding me, never letting go…even though in my world these days, i so often feel lonely. but i don't dwell on the hope of her, i trust in my faith that my path will lead me to where i need to be down the road. what is truly important is live now, live life to it's fullest...
 
the future will take care of itself, i need to take care of this moment now ― bodhi, futuro
 
remember, the future is promised to no one, so don’t live for tomorrow—live for today, live for this moment, live life here and now…​and imagine how ​spectacularly cool ​it would be ​if we ​each ​had a jimmy buffett watch on our arm that reminded us the time was always ​"​now​"​...

i bought a cheap watch from a crazy man floating down canal…it doesn't use numbers or moving hands, it always just says “now”…now you may be thinking that i was had, but this watch is never wrong…according to my watch, the time is now, past is dead and gone, don't try to explain it, just nod your head--breathe in, breathe out, move on ― jimmy buffett, breathe in, breathe out, move on.
 
the time to act alive is now, live as your best possible self in the now...but do not be too foolhardy! because if you're lucky and you're given a tomorrow, you don't want to have ruined the future with what you did today. you need to wisely balance your actions today with your plans of tomorrow. be sure of your current decisions, make good ones, because the choices we make today help create that beautiful future we are dreaming about...
 
your own positive future begins in this moment. all you have is right now. every goal is possible from here ― lao tzu, tao te ching
 
"the ever elusive future, ever elusive future. the ever elusive future's like a comet with a tail. that human​s ​stride ​to ​lasso, but we always seem to fail. the ever elusive future spins a hybrid with a slash, for fools and fortune tellers always looking for the cash. but there's always something lurking in the jungle, better watch your step, it's not a place to stumble. something's moving,  something's coming...the ever elusive future, ever elusive future. the ever elusive future is a script right from our past, conjoning frogs and raptors that may leave the world aghast. the ever elusive future has no time to read fate, creation, mother nature ​or​ who is the missing link. because there's always, something lurking in the jungle. it's getting hot, i'm feeling kinda fungle. never sleeping, always creeping...the ever elusive future, ever elusive future...more then the strong survive, who's gonna be alive...in a million years (in a million years). how lucky can you get, life's a long shot, yet, but we're still here. the ever elusive future, it just sows the seeds of time, it's mission's been a secret, no reason nor no rhyme. it's hiding in a wormhole, or behind some distant moon, but the one thing you can count on, it will be here fairly soon. and there's always something lurking in the jungle, better watch your step, it's not a place to stumble. something's moving, something's coming. the ever elusive future, ever elusive future. the ever elusive future, not much to compare. ever elusive future, how do we get there?" ― jimmy buffett, the ever elusive future.
 
 
​THE FUTURO HOUSE STORY
futuro is the spanish word for "future" or "in the future"...and ​a f​uturo house​ (a.k.a ​futuro ​p​od​)​ is a round, prefabricated house designed by ​f​innish architect ​m​atti ​s​uuronen, of which fewer than 100 were built during the late 1960s and early 1970s.​ ​originally i​t​ was designed to be used as a ski chalet with its shape and materials making it able to heat up quickly. ​i​t was also designed to be manufactured in 12 parts that could be easily transported to, and then quickly assembled at its desired location. ​t​he shape, reminiscent of a flying saucer supported by legs and the structure's airplane hatch entrance has made the houses sought after by collectors. ​t​he ​f​uturo is composed of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic, polyester-polyurethane, and poly(methyl methacrylate), measuring 13ft (4m) high and 26ft (8m) in diameter….of the 100 that were manufactured from 1968-1978, just 64 still are existing worldwide (with 18 of those located here in the ​usa​)…​for the futuro house in my impression today, ​you can try to get a reservation here: area 55 futuro house joshua tree airbnb.​ ​​...​
 
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! ― bodhi, my world
 
 
​A COUPLE MORE TUNES​
here is a classic tune released originally back in 1969 by music legend david bowie when the futuro house was just coming into being...space travel dominated popular culture in the late 1960s, ahead of the first mission to land on the moon. bowie’s iconic character in this song, major tom, was based on director stanley kubrick’s dr. david bowman, who was played by keir dullea in the film 2001: a space odyssey. bowie began writing space oddity six months after seeing the movie, which came out in cinemas in may 1968...
 
"i found the film amazing, i was out of my gourd anyway, i was very stoned when i went to see it, several times, and it was really a revelation to me. it got the song flowing...thematically, i have always dealt with alienation and isolation. i have often put myself in situations where i am isolated so i can write about that" said bowie...
 
the song was released on july 11th, just over a week before neil armstrong and buzz aldrin stepped foot on the moon. the bbc played space oddity during their coverage of the apollo 11 landing. "i’m sure they really weren’t listening to the lyric at all," said bowie later. "of course, i was overjoyed that they did."
 
space oddity is the atmospheric tale of an abandoned astronaut orbiting earth, and it remains one of the most quirky and poignant songs of the late 60s. this masterpiece has continued to influence society into the 21st century...
 
so, since this masterful song, space oddity, was created by david bowie in the very years of the incubation of the futuro as a reality, it's am absolutely  perfect tune to go along with my thoughts of the future today: david bowie with kristen wiig, space oddity....(btw, 47 years after its release, this tune was used with significant meaning in a favorite movie of mine, the secret life of walter mitty in 2013, this is the youtube musical video clip which the link goes to with kristen wiig singing along with david bowie)
 
"ground control to major tom. ground control to major tom. take your protein pills and put your helmet on. ground control to major tom, commencing countdown, engines on. check ignition and may god's love be with you. this is ground control to major tom. you've really made the grade, and the papers want to know whose shirts you wear. now it's time to leave the capsule, if you dare...this is major tom to ground control. i'm stepping through the door and i'm floating in a most peculiar way. and the stars look very different today, for here am i sitting in a tin can. far above the world, planet earth is blue. and there's nothing i can do, though i'm past one hundred thousand miles, i'm feeling very still. and i think my spaceship knows which way to go. tell my wife i love her very much, she knows...ground control to major tom. your circuit's dead, there's something wrong. can you hear me, major tom? can you hear me, major tom? can you hear me, major tom? can you hear me, major tom? can you...here am i floating around my tin can. far above the moon, planet earth is blue, and there's nothing i can do... " ― david bowie with kristen wiig, space oddity.
 
 
​released a little over 10 years ago in 2013, this next tune is from a favorite alternative indie band of mine, paramore, who hails from franklin, tennessee. the song is about looking ahead rather than dwelling on the past.​ and ​in a way​, like the past and the future,​ it sounds as if it’s almost two different songs, turning entirely instrumental after about the 3:00 mark.
 
​t​he song came together almost by accident​--​lead singer h​ayley​ williams​ in an interview with ​a​rtist ​d​irect​ ​said:​ ​​"t​hat song ​("future" by paramore.) ​is such a happy accident. ​i​ love that song! ​t​hat’s something ​i ​was playing around with on my guitar ​for years​. ​i​t was an old song. ​i​t was this old thing ​i​ kept picking on guitar over and over again. ​i​t wasn’t complete. ​i​t was a few lines.​​ ​i​t’s a really special song. ​i​t’s super emotional for me.​..i​t was important to be an ode to the future. ​i​ guess that song, long before we got ready to really write the ​whole album​, shaped my thought process, where we were headed and where we needed to go. ​i​ was so tired of rehashing the past. ​w​e were doing so many interviews at the time about what was going on in the band and all of this black, negative stuff. ​i​ was just over it. ​s​o, it was a little song that got us through a lot..."
 
"i'm writing the future, i'm writing it out, loud. we don't talk about the past, we don't talk about the past, now. so i'm writing the future, i'm leaving a key here. something won't always be missing, it won't always feel empty, here. just think of the future, and think of your dreams. you'll get away from here, you'll get away eventually. so just think of your future, think of a new life. don't get lost in the memories, keep your eyes on a new prize"― paramore, future.


A COUPLE MORE QUOTES
i'm in love with my future, can't wait to meet her. and i, i'm in love, but not with anybody else. just wanna get to know myself. i know supposedly i'm lonely now. i know i'm supposed to be unhappy without someone. but aren't i someone? i'd like to be your answer, because you're so handsome ― billie eilish, my future.
 
the best way to predict the future is to create it ― abraham lincoln
 
the future will soon be a thing of the past ​― george carlin
 
let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future​ ​― robert schuller
 
man cannot change or escape his time. the eyes see the present and the future ― salvador dali
 
in the future...if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again...fall in love with me. you’re still my favorite person, always will be ― colleen hoover, it ends with us
 
that is the simple secret of happiness. whatever you are doing, don’t let past move your mind; don’t let future disturb you. because the past is no more, and the future is not yet. to live in the memories, to live in the imagination, is to live in the non-existential. and when you are living in the non-existential, you are missing that which is existential. naturally you will be miserable, because you will miss your whole life ― osho, the secret of secrets
 
i don’t live in either my past or my future. i’m interested only in the present. if you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now ― paulo coelho, the alchemist
 
i love you. i am who i am because of you. you are every reason, every hope, and every dream i've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. i will always be yours ― nicholas sparks, the notebook
 
action always happens in the present, because it is an expression of the body, which can only exist in the here and now. but the mind is like a phantom that lives only in the past or future. it's only power over you is to draw your attention out of the present ― dan millman, way of the peaceful warrior
 
if you are depressed, you are living in the past. if you are anxious, you are living in the future. if you are at peace, you are living in the present ― lao tzu, tao te ching 
 
no need to announce the future! this now is it. this. your deepest need and desire is satisfied by the moment’s energy here in your hand ― jalaluddin rumi, bridge to the soul
 
how can i know anything about the past or the future, when the light of my beloved shines only now ― jalaluddin rumi, whispers of the beloved
 
do not look back, no one knows how the world ever began. do not fear the future, nothing lasts forever. if you dwell on the past or future, you will miss the moment. have faith! what is planted in each person's soul will sprout ― jalaluddin rumi, words of paradise
 
only from the heart can you touch the stars in the sky ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
 
 
SPECIFICS ABOUT THIS PHOTO
you were blessed with 84,600 seconds today, have you used one of them to say thank you? ― bodhi, blessed 
 
​this image ​was taken a few weeks ago on march 25th, 2023 in the high desert of california just northeast of the town of joshua tree...
 
​this impression consists of ​two compositions taken separately: one of the futuro house and surrounding desertscape one single long exposure of the futuro house taken during blue hour at 7:11pm on march 25th, 2023 (f/11@111mm for 111 secs, iso-64)... and one that's an 11-shot panoramic composition of the full milky way arch (taken in portrait orientation) created a little over 16 hours prior in the frigid cold night (22f with a biting wind chill of 11f) of the high desert at 3:33am on march 25th, 2023 ((f'/1.4@24mm for 13secs, iso-2000) x 11)...the two compositions were then merged together into one picture using layers in adobe photoshop cc...
 
this is a spring composition of the stars taken on march 25th, 2023, the early season of shooting the milky way when the entire arch is a lower elevation from the horizon and the position (azimuth) of it's glowing core is more east southeast at about 125 degrees in the sky...even as i type this only four weeks past, it's already too late in the milky way season now to photograph the milky way at this location with its galactic core's azimuth continually moving south and its elevation becoming too high of an angle in the sky to capture this scene...
 
and on this night, i was supremely lucky to have an abundance of the atmospheric phenomenon know as "airglow" in the cold desert sky...this is what makes the beautiful luminous light green color from the underside of the milky way arch down to the horizon...
 
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 the futuro house exposure of this composition (f/11@111mm for 111 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa filters. along with the progrey g-120z antarctic magnetic holder. to secure these filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. ... 
 
first, a 3.0 nd progrey antarctica filter. to bring the light in the image down 10 stops and permit for the long 1 minute and 51 second exposure which naturally saturates all the red, green, and blue (rgb) colors in the image...
 
combined with the second filter, a 0.9 gnd progrey aurora 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 post dusk light, an extra three stops and help permit details in the shadows of the sculpture to come out better in the exposure... 
 
for the separate exposures of the stars and milky way arch 11 x (f/1.4@24mm for 13sec, iso-2000), no filters were necessary, so none were used...
 
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 an induro (now benro) stealth 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 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 ― bodhi, if 
 
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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