"In The Clouds" by Bodhi Smith

Feb 10, 2023

"in the clouds" is my new impression...imagine you're on a gorgeous and remote tropical island all-your-own in the pacific ocean. and you're on a secluded secret beach lined with palm trees, and you're curling your toes in the soft sugary sand as you watch a radiantly colorful sunrise to begin your day. how can you not smile?...some might say you have your head "in the clouds"...but if you can just imagine it, have faith and believe the dream can happen, there's a great chance it'll happen...and if not? well, you still have a beautiful daydream to help you feel good, warm your heart, and that's not a bad thing at all... 
 
"i sometimes have
my head in
the clouds
all too often,
getting lost in
beautiful thoughts about
nature, love, and
being happy...but
what's wrong with that,
i'd like to know? because
here i go, again..."
 
"my head, always floating in the clouds. i'm never coming down. i'm lost, i'm not coming home. i don't wanna leave this place, no. i just wanna be where the light go. everything i needed, i got though, my head is always in the clouds" ― o.a.r, in the clouds.  
 
"there is a truth and it's on our side: dawn is coming, open your eyes, look into the sun as new days rise" ― jose gonzalez, stay alive (from the walter mitty soundtrack). 

"clouds are rolling by, i open my mouth and i breathe them right in, all my thoughts slip away..." ― borns, clouds.
 
"i could be sad, but you rather me not be. don't dwell on the negative, just the positivity...when our eyes are open, we'll see things differently...no one can take that away, it's just a beautiful day. i know it's a beautiful day" ― ziggy marley, it's a beautiful day. 
 
"it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me, and i’m feeling good" ― nina simone, feeling good.
 
"i try to maintain a healthy dose of keeping my head in the clouds to remain sane" ― florence welch, lead singer of florence + the machine.
 
"beautiful things don't ask for attention" ― james thurber, the secret life of walter mitty.
 
"in this impression, if you look closely, you can see a figure (me as a metaphor) standing atop of the island. i'm standing right there, so still as i take a picture with my head in the clouds, literally" ― bodhi, in the clouds

released in 2021, this song is a gentle indie tune with heartfelt lyrics. in its simple essence, it’s about the good times of being happy and in love. you probably have your head in the clouds when you’re freshly in love, and this song is perfect for remembering these days with a touch of nostalgia...and with its lyrics, it's the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the deeper meaning of my impression and blog today: "head in the clouds" by hayd....(just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....    

"i miss the days when life was so simple, felt like the glass was always half full. where did that go? and every second with you was so special, back when we didn't fear the unknowns. but that was long ago. who can say where the path will go? philosophers guess but they just don't know. maybe that's why we had our head in the clouds, thought we had it all figured out, planning to fly away to escape everything on the ground. but like a plane up in space, we slowly drifted away. and every plan that we made, and dream that we chased, are just memories now. they're just memories now. i'm not sure where everything went wrong, but i know that we landed where we both belong. i just wish we weren't scared to say that there's expiration dates on the friends you make. as hard as that may sound, who can say where the path will go? philosophers guess but they just don't know. maybe that's why we had our head in the clouds, thought we had it all figured out, planning to fly away to escape everything on the ground. but like a plane up in space, we slowly drifted away. and every plan that we made, and dream that we chased, are just memories now. they're just memories now. who can say where the path will go, where the path will go, where the path will go? philosophers guess but they just don't know, but they just don't know" ― hayd, head in the clouds.
 
"seems mother nature was patiently waiting on me to get this picture and she was not rushing me, just letting me take it all in, and enjoy my morning at this spot from my daydreams, with my head in the clouds so long ago" ― bodhi, in the clouds
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MEANING
"i sometimes have my head in the clouds all too often, getting lost in beautiful thoughts about nature, love, and being happy...but what's wrong with that, i'd like to know? because here i go again..." ― bodhi, in the clouds
 
from the merriam-webster dictionary--the idiom "in the clouds" has many meanings, depending on how you look at it...some slightly negative, while others are more positive in context...
1. Detached from reality; delusional
2. Being impractical or unrealistic
3. Dreaming in a fanciful or imaginative state; 
4. In reverie--lost in one's thoughts in a daydream
 
and quite often "in the clouds" is implied with the idea of "having your head in the clouds"...breaking it down, the word “clouds” is a metaphor for thoughts outside the realm of a conversation or situation. the word “head” is used to represent the person's thoughts or their attention...it can all simply mean that you are daydreaming and not paying attention to what is happening around you right now. you're physically present but still not there because your mind and thoughts are somewhere else. or, you're distracted from the present, maybe you are spending too much time thinking about love or about ideas that are not practical...
 
but it can also be meant to praise someone for always dreaming and thinking outside the box, imagining all the possibilities of where your life can take you...this is the context of positivity i want to focus on with the meaning of my impression today...
 
imagine you're on a gorgeous and remote tropical island all-your-own in the pacific ocean. and you're on a secluded secret beach lined with palm trees, and you're curling your toes in the soft sugary sand as you watch a radiantly colorful sunrise to begin your day. how can you not smile?...some might say you have your head "in the clouds"...but if you can just imagine it, have faith and believe the dream can happen, there's a great chance it'll happen...and if not? well, you still have a beautiful daydream to help you feel good, warm your heart, and that's not a bad thing at all...
 
"feet on the ground, head in the clouds, i'm ready to go" ― bodhi, in the clouds
 
my head was in the clouds on many a day when i imagined this scene. years before i ever took this picture, i had already visualized it and seen it in my mind's eye, though i'd never been to this spot, nor knew where it was...
 
fast-forward to january 15th, 2023 and i'm on a trip to revisit the hawaiian island of oahu where i had lived as a small child in the 70's...pre-dawn on this morning, i decide to drive up to the northern side of kaneohe bay to scout for a reflective view across the water of the kualoa mountains that rise up directly from the shore, which i did later find, but not until after this composition found me just as the sun was rising...
 
i'm walking on the beach southward with mokolii island off to my left beside me, and the sky just started to glow warmly and colorfully...i rounded the southeast corner of the beach at kualoa park, and started walking westward, now mokolii island is directly behind me out of view. the sky suddenly became more intense and radiant, so i stopped and turned around, and this is the view i had...as soon as i saw it, that old imagined scene in my head came to life, real life, right there before my eyes. i wasn't looking for it, but it found me anyway...
 
i forgot all about the reason why i came here in the first place and just stood there curling my toes in the sugary sands with my head in the clouds, lost in awe of all the beauty my eyes were soaking up...tropical cyan waters, green palms, golden sands, yellow and pink clouds in the sky, wow...
 
funny though, i never was in a frantic rush to get my camera gear out of my pack and then open up my tripod and set it up in the sand ...the skies were on afterburners as the hues in the clouds were not fading by any degree. seems mother nature was patiently waiting on me to get this picture and she was not rushing me, just letting me take it all in, and enjoy my morning living in the moment, at this spot from my daydream, with my head in the clouds so long ago...
 
"if you find yourself lost in the clouds, it's always best to be lost in the clouds in this present moment" ― bodhi, in the clouds
 
i love clouds. they always bring such beautiful colors to sunrises and sunsets in my photography...i imagine flying through the clouds like a bird, and sometimes i have my head in the clouds all too often, but what is wrong with that? getting lost in beautiful thoughts about nature, love, and being happy...
 
and sometime you get lucky as a photographer when things go right, or you catch a glimpse of something unexpected and wonderful...in this impression, if you look closely, you can see me (as a metaphor) standing directly on top of the island of chinaman's hat, standing right there, so still, as i take a picture with my head literally in the clouds...
 
i enjoyed this morning to my fullest, and once the show was over and all the bold colors subsided into the daylight, i packed up my camera gear and restarted on my scouting mission with a ginormous smile on my face...
 
"in the clouds is where i go when i need to get away" ― bodhi, in the clouds

this next song, the newest from o.a.r. ( which stands for "of a revolution") was only just recently released in february 2023. the band formed 27 years ago in maryland back in 1996 while they were all in high school. then in 2000, all of its members went to the ohio state university in columbus, ohio where they gained an enormous stage presence and fan following...the band remains together to this day with all its original members (what an example of friendship and longevity!) and persists in being one of my personal favorite alternative bands with a couple of their songs topping my list of all-time favourite tunes...
 
and this newest tune of theirs has an ultra parallel meaning with my photograph. so, once you listen to the song and hear its lyrics of uber positive feelings , "in the clouds" by of a revolution (o.a.r). you'll clearly understand without a doubt how it goes along perfectly with the deeper meaning of my impression and blog today--plus, it also has the same exact title as my image too...(just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....  

"my head is always in the clouds so high, i'm not coming down. my head is always in the clouds. i'm not coming down, i love it...if i'm gonna be in your halo, take a little ride down a rainbow. i don't wanna leave this place, never gonna leave this place, no. i just wanna be where the light goes. everything i needed, i got though. i don't wanna leave this place, never gonna leave this place, no. i'm never coming down. i'm lost, i'm not coming home. i'm lost, i'm not coming down. my head is always in the clouds so high, i'm not coming down. my head is always in the clouds. i'm not coming down, i love it...i'm gonna take my time on the way home. leaning on my arm out the window. i don't wanna leave this place, never gonna leave this place, no. everything i needed, i got though. i just wanna go where the road goes. i don't wanna leave this place, never gonna leave this place, no. i'm never coming down. i'm lost, i'm not coming home. i'm lost, i'm not coming down. my head is always in the clouds. my head, always floating, i'm never coming down. my head, always floating in the clouds. my head, always floating. i'm lost, i'm not coming down. my head, always floating, my head is always in the clouds. my head, always floating in the clouds. my head, always floating in the clouds. my head, always floating in the clouds. i'm never coming down. my head, always floating. i'm lost, i'm not coming home...if i'm gonna be in your halo, take a little ride down a rainbow. i don't wanna leave this place, never gonna leave this place, no. i just wanna be where the light goes. everything i needed, i got though. i don't wanna leave this place, my head is always in the clouds" ― o.a.r, in the clouds.  
 
"i love relaxing in the glowing radiance of a beautiful sunrise to start my day, bathing in the hues, soaking up all these warming colors directly into my soul" ― bodhi, in the clouds
----------------------
 
MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
released in 2013, this next song is on "the secret life of walter mitty" movie soundtrack...it has an absolutely beautiful melody with lyrics to match about dreaming, being grateful to be alive and start off your day in a breathtaking way by watching the sun rise...you can listen to it as you read on with my blog. this is another favourite song of mine, from a top-ten favourite movie of mine that really stikes home with its theme and characters (especially the photographer sean o'connell), if you have seen the movie, then you will be able to relate and also recognize this song, "stay alive" by jose gonzalez. ... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)...

"there's a rhythm and rush these days, where the lights don't move and the colors don't fade. leaves you empty with nothing but dreams in a world gone shallow, in a world gone lean. sometimes there's things a man cannot know, the gears won't turn and the leaves won't grow. there's no place to run and no gasoline, engine won't turn and the train won't leave. (engines won't turn and the train won't leave)...i will stay with you tonight, hold you close 'til the morning light. in the morning watch a new day rise, we'll do whatever just to stay alive. (we'll do whatever just to stay alive)...well, the way i fell is the way i write. it isn't like the thoughts of the man who lies. there is a truth and it's on our side: dawn is coming, open your eyes, look into the sun as the new days rise...and i will wait for you tonight. you're here forever and you're by my side. i've been waiting all my life to feel your heart as it's keeping time. we'll do whatever just to stay alive...dawn is coming, open your eyes. dawn is coming, open your eyes. dawn is coming, open your eyes. dawn is coming, open your eyes, look into the sun as the new days rise...there's a rhythm and rush these days, where the lights don't move and the colors don't fade. leaves you empty with nothing but dreams in a world gone shallow, in a world gone lean. but there is a truth and it's on our side: dawn is coming, open your eyes, look into the sun as new days rise" ― jose gonzalez, stay alive.
 
"every day is a good day" ― gautama siddhartha buddha, sayings of buddha
 
"be careful what you water your dreams with. water them with worry and fear, and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. water them with optimism and solutions, and you will cultivate success. always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream" ― lao tzu, tao te ching 
 
"true imagination is not fanciful daydreaming; it is fire from heaven" ― colleen hoover, it ends with us
 
"my wish is to fall cranium over converse in dizzy head-in-the-clouds-worthy love" ― sarah tregay, love and leftovers
 
"a daily dose of having your head in the clouds heals the heart, soothes the soul, and strengthens the imagination" ― richelle e. goodrich, smile anyway
 
"nothing makes time pass or shortens the way like a thought that absorbs in itself all the faculties of the one who is thinking. external existence is then like a sleep of which this thought is the dream. under its influence, time has no more measure, space has no more distance" ― alexandre dumas, the three musketeers
 
"i’ve always liked quiet people...but you never know if they’re dancing with their head in the clouds or if they’re carrying the weight of the world" ― john green looking for alaska
 
"wishful thinking and having your head in the clouds can occasionally make dreams come true. unrealistic projects, improbable ventures and unfeasible missions can sometimes be achieved through conscious dreaming. at times, these visions can be an inspiration and generate creative reflection" ― erik pevernagie
 
"little darling, i feel that ice is slowly melting. little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear. here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and i say it's all right, it's all right" ― the beatles, here comes the sun.
 
"i choose to love you in silence…for in silence, i find no rejection. i choose to love you in loneliness…for in loneliness no one has you but me. i choose to adore you from a distance…for distance will shield me from pain. i choose to kiss you in the wind…for the wind is gentler than my lips. i choose to hold you in my dreams…for in my dreams, you have no end" ― jalaluddin rumi, words of paradise
 
i could almost include this next song with every single blog i write, it's literally one of my all-time favourite songs, and a tune i could listen to over-and-over-and-over (as i already have thousands of times)...nina simone is "feeling good", nina sings about how good it feels if you start something new and fresh. the song talks about the entities of nature and how they can be related to the seasons. it’s about change and how good it can feel once you finally let go of the past...this song is perfect for anyone struggling to move on from a bad relationship or experience. it’s about accepting change and learning to embrace the newness of life. if you’re feeling down, this song is definitely for you...   
 
this song, a classic from the mid 1960s is so boldly optimistic, with a fresh message about feeling good about starting something new, a new beginning. it’s about change and how good it can feel once you finally let go of the past...this song is perfect for anyone struggling to move on from a bad relationship or experience. it’s about accepting change and learning to embrace the newness of life.and the lyrics are sung in such a way, like she's talking to the many entities of nature, telling them that they know how she is feeling. nina also talks of having a new world with all the parts of nature to always enjoy even if she is all alone. nature and her can feel good about their connection. feeling good may not exactly mean happiness in this song, as it simply means being one with nature at peace. this jazzy song is very slow, but there is a buildup as nina sings about her new beginning, and the instrumental buildup gets any music lover excited, and feeling unstoppable about having a new chapter in their life ...this song is so powerful, reflecting a new day, a new beginning, and a new hope in this new year of 2023....and with its lyrics, it is the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the deeper meaning of my impression and blog today: "feeling good" by nina simone....(just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)....    

"birds flying high, you know how i feel. sun in the sky, you know how i feel. breeze driftin' on by, you know how i feel. it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, yeah...it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, ooh, and i'm feeling good...fish in the sea, you know how i feel. river running free, you know how i feel. blossom on the tree, you know how i feel. it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, and i'm feeling good...dragonfly out in the sun you know what i mean, don't you know? butterflies all having fun, you know what i mean. sleep in peace when day is done, that's what i mean. and this old world, is a new world. and a bold world for me, yeah-yeah. stars when you shine, you know how i feel. scent of the pine, you know how i feel. oh, freedom is mine and i know how i feel. it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me. i'm feeling good" ― nina simone, feeling good.
 
and here's some more deeply beautiful music you can listen to as you read on with my blog. this is another favourite song of mine, from my favourite reggae artist ziggy marley, and a reggae tune that most people might have never heard before, "it's a beautiful day" by ziggy marley. ...this song is very poignant with it's choice of lyrics and deeper meaning that "every day is a beautiful day of you don't dwell on negativity and instead focus on positivity"...and musically it's just a very soothing melody that at the same time is easy on the ears and lightens your heart and spirit... (just click on any of the words in the blue links to listen to the musical selection)...

"i take a look into the sky, because the world is not so pretty. free myself from worries so i can see: it's just a beautiful day, it's just a beautiful day! you could be sad, but i rather you not be. don't dwell on the negative, just the positivity. and it's a beautiful day, it's just a beautiful day...we're always trying to satisfy these wants and needs. take you some time for that inner peace. when your eyes are open, you'll see things differently. there is so much gloom hiding the reality: it's just a beautiful day, yeah, it's just a beautiful day!! take a look into the sky, wake up, take a look into the sky, keep your head up high, take a look into the sky. i take a look into the sky, because the world is not so pretty, free myself from worries so i can see: it's just a beautiful day!! i could be sad, but you rather me not be. don't dwell on the negative, just the positivity. and it's a beautiful day, and it's a beautiful day!!! we're always trying to satisfy these wants and needs. take you some time for that inner peace. when our eyes are open, we'll see things differently. there's so much gloom hiding the reality: it's just a beautiful day, a beautiful day!!! take a look into the sky. wake up. take a look into the sky. look in the sky, keep your head up high. it's just a beautiful day, i know it's a beautiful day. it's just a beautiful day, i know it's a beautiful day...no one can take that away, it's just a beautiful day. i know it's a beautiful day. don't you feel no way, it's just a beautiful day!" ― ziggy marley, it's a beautiful day. 
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ABOUT THIS IMPRESSION
"i forgot all about the reason why i came here in the first place, and just stood there curling my toes in the sugary sands with my head in the clouds, lost in awe of all the beauty my eyes were soaking up...tropical cyan waters, green palms, golden sands, yellow and pink clouds in the sky, wow" ― bodhi, in the clouds
 
this impression was captured during a windless morning on january 15, 2023 at 7:11am…as seen from the palm tree lined beach on the south shore of kualoa regional park, pictured here at sunrise with its head in the clouds is the small island of mokolii (though it’s known as “chinaman’s hat” locally)…mokolii island is a mere stone’s throw off the eastern coast of the hawaiian island of oahu in north kaneohe bay close to kualoa ranch...
 
this composition is comprised of a single long exposure (f/11@111mm for 22 seconds, 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 long exposure composition (f/11@111mm for 22 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa filters. along with the progrey g-120z antarctica magnetic holder. to secure these filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.... 
 
first, a 3.0nd progrey antarctica filter. to bring the light in the image down 10 stops and permit for the 22-second long exposure in the bright sunrise light, which allows for my style of photography in creating the dreamy blur in the clouds and the smoothness in the gentle waves coming ashore onto the beach, plus naturally saturate all the yellow, pink, green, and blue colors in the image (i would not have been able to use this long exposure and filters if the wind was blowing, because the palm fronds in the image would be blurred severely)...
 
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 exposure an extra three stops to better balance the much brighter light in the left hand side of the sky (the light from the approaching sunrise) with the darker shadows in the palm trees and shade on mokolii island. this filter thus helps to permit details to expose better in all the palm trees, and the golden sands of the beach in the foreground, and thus come out better in the exposure... 
 
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...
 
"you were blessed with 84,600 seconds today, have you used one of them to say thank you?" ― bodhi, 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" ― bodhi, if 
 
"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" ― bodhi, into my photo
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary " ― bodhi, 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!" ― bodhi, my world
 
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
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http://www.facebook.com/Bodhi.Impressions

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