"Just Like Paradise" by Bodhi Smith

Mar 17, 2023

"just like paradise" is my new impression from my recent trip to french polynesia...
 
"already in heaven
standing here
listening to
the silence of 
the stars glowing 
just like paradise
already in heaven
standing here
seeing the shimmering
lagoon reflecting
all my feelings
back into me" 
 
"in the sea of love, i melt like salt, faith, doubt--they both dissolve. a star is opening in my heart, the worlds of you turn in it" ― jalaluddin rumi, words of paradise
 
"people need to get outside more. i’m already in paradise. i wake up in heaven every single day. our planet is perfect: a sapphire and emerald gem brimming with everything we could ever want or need, powered by a sun that is neither too hot nor cold, hurtling through an equally amazing universe filled with an infinite number of solar systems and planets that put on a spectacular light show, every single night, just for us" ― erin miller, hikertrash
 
"when you lose yourself, you find the key to paradise" ― zac brown band (featuring jimmy buffett), knee deep.
 
"all around the world they look for this: a little bit of sun and a pretty miss. oh, there's nothing that you need to fix, girl, just like paradise" ― o.a.r., just like paradise.
 
"one night ain't enough for me. girl, hang on tight and don't let go. this must be just like livin' in paradise, and i don't want to go home" ― david lee roth, just like paradise.
 
almost paradise, we're knockin' on heaven's door. almost paradise, how could we ask for more? i swear that i can see forever in your eyes, paradise, paradise, paradise" ― mike reno and ann wilson, almost paradise.
 
"life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away" ― vicki corona, tahitian choreographies  
 
"paradise is not something that we create. rather, it is something that we find" ― suzy kassem, rise up and salute the sun
 
"speak little. learn the words of eternity. go beyond your tangled thoughts and find the splendor of paradise" ― jalaluddin rumi, the music and silence of the heart
 
"the infinite cosmos filled with stars, planets, the southern cross, and the milky way--all the glorious heavenly bodies shining down on me is "just like paradise"...everything glowing so bright, illuminating all of this dreamy tropical island and the pacific ocean with a magical radiance that's surreal, sublime, and ethereal" ― bodhi, just like paradise
 
released five years ago in 2018, this song by the indie alternative group, of a revolution (o.a.r.), goes perfectly with my impression today. it has lyrics that are beautiful with a clear dual meaning about the idea of paradise (plus the tune has the same exact title as my image too)..."just like paradise" by o.a.r. (of a revolution). ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"after all the clouds have gone, we can get together. she mixes the pineapple with dark rum, says it's because of the weather. we're burning in the sunshine, she squeezes the lime. as the dj on the stereo dropped the bassline, she told me she's in love with the speaker and the sub. and reggae makes her crazy, maybe it's your eyes, how they pull me in. maybe it's your skin, either way i win. i don't even know where to begin, girl, you're just like paradise...all around the world they look for this: a little bit of sun and a pretty miss. here i got you both i can't resist, girl, just like paradise. she called me up when my watch read one, waiting in the lobby (you know what she wants to do). the weekend is here and the work is done, she just wants to party. we're burning in the sunshine. she squeezes the lime as the dj on the stereo dropped the bassline. she told me she's in love with the speaker and the sub. and reggae makes her crazy. maybe it's your eyes, how they pull me in. maybe it's your skin, either way i win. i don't even know where to begin, girl, you're just like paradise...all around the world they look for this: a little bit of sun and a pretty miss. here i got you both. i can't resist, girl, just like paradise...we used to talk about it all night, plan every minute of our whole lives. we used to talk about it all night. i can't believe it, that you're still mine, just like paradise. all around the world they look for this: a little bit of sun and a pretty miss. oh, there's nothing that you need to fix, girl, just like paradise" ― o.a.r., just like paradise.
 
"under this beautiful cosmic light show glowing up the heavens above me, i keep hearing the words rattling around my mind--this must be just like living in paradise, and i don't wanna go home" ― bodhi, just like paradise
----------------------
 
MEANING
"paradise inside this moment. so peaceful. so soulful. so idyllic. so beautiful. such tranquility. such contentment. such spirit. such love. right here. right now. inside paradise." ― bodhi, just like paradise
 
"paradise" is defined by merriam-webster as:
1.  a state of bliss, felicity, or delight
2. an ideal or idyllic place; eden; heaven
 
i just recently visited french polynesia and took a short flight from papeete, tahiti out to the small island of bora-bora...and believe me, bora-bora could easily pass for a definition of paradise. it's an ideal place like eden, a blissful heaven full of eye-pleasing delights...and you can sense this in my photograph here...
 
upon arriving on the island of bora bora, you get the feeling of being in a very remote place in the tropics...as you land, you witness an airport that's just a tiny strip of pavement on one of the outer sandbars. you quickly find too that you need to take a water taxi to get to your resort as there are no connecting roads...and once on the main island, with the speed limit maxing out at 60km/hr, you'll see there's no need to rent a car. in fact, it's much better to rent a motor scooter at avis to get around the island...you can park them pretty much anywhere, they're uber fuel efficient, and they're a blast to ride around in the open air upon...and for me on my visit, tooling around on the one i rented was a throwback to my younger days back in high school, all the nostalgia of a scooter i had in those formidable teenage years, such fond memories of my youth just kept rushing back to me as i circled the island a couple times with the warm tropical wind in my hair...
 
the island is not very large at all, only about 30 sq km, but kilometer for kilometer, it packs a punch for sheer exquisite beauty better than eny where else in the world...around every corner, bora bora is just like paradise...acting like a barrier reef, bora bora has a gorgeous blue lagoon that surrounds the entire island with crystal clear waters filled with living coral and many species of colorful tropical fish, dolphins, turtles, sharks, and manta rays...throw in the powdery-soft white-sugar sand beaches lined with tropical coconut palm trees at the water's edge, plus the amazing accomodations in tiki huts right out over the shallow blue lagoon--and it's all truly a sight to behold...
 
its quite difficult "not" to take a great photo while visiting bora bora. the island itself does all the hard work and heavy lifting...the images kinda beautifully take themselves all on their own. all you have to do is click the camera's shutter release button, and presto, you have a gorgeous memory captured of your time spend in a place just like paradise...
 
and amazingly enough, this impression you see here was one i did not have to work hard in any way at all to capture...
 
after leisurely walking a few meters out from my room at the resort around 3:00am onto the royal bora bora tiki pier, there above me is such a gorgeous luminous night sky to behold, wow! the infinite cosmos filled with stars, planets, the southern cross, and the milky way--all the glorious heavenly bodies shining down on me is just like paradise...everything glowing so bright, illuminating all of this dreamy tropical island and the pacific ocean with a magical radiance that's surreal, sublime, and ethereal...
 
during the the short time i spent on bora bora, i kept saying to myself: this must be just like living paradise, and i don't wanna go home...and with making my home in san diego, california, i seldom, if ever feel like not wanting to return back to my home. but my trip to french polynesia had to come to an end. and of course i did have to fly home. and now that i'm back home, i dream of returning. i want to return back to this little comfy paradise of bora bora real soon, and i definitely will be revisiting this beautiful island again real soon in my near future...
 
"some people find paradise relaxing under a palm tree on a white sand beach, many find it standing in the middle of nowhere under the glowing milky way above, yet others find it on the green at the 18th hole, and some more can find it high in the snow on an alpine peak, while a select few find it deep in the eyes of their lover...but no matter where you might find paradise, its source is truly always found inside of you no matter what" ― bodhi, just like paradise
 
this classic rock tune from 1988, a solo venture by david lee roth (the ex-lead singer of the rock group van halen), was playing around in my head when i was standing on this pier on the island of bora-bora. under this beautiful cosmic light show glowing up the heavens above me, i keep hearing the words rattling around my mind--"this must be just like living in paradise, and i don't wanna go home"....it's another perfect tune with its meaningful lyrics to accompany my impression and blog today (plus it so happens to also have the exact same title as my photo here today)... "just like paradise" by david lee roth. ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"rocking steady in her daddy's car, she got the stereo with the big guitars and that's all right. i got the itch and a restless soul, she gone with the wind, gonna go for broke tonight, and that's all night. girl, we've been meant for this since we were born. no problems now (the coast is clear), it's just the calm before the storm. this must be just like livin' in paradise, and i don't want to go home...suzy, suzy, girl, for cryin' out loud, you got all the right moves, you make me eat my heart out nightly, and that's all right with me! no special favors, make it out to cash, we'll spend it later, got to make this romance last. that's it, that's it. some folks say "easy come is easy go" (and some folks say). but one night ain't enough for me. girl, hang on tight and don't let go. this must be just like livin' in paradise, and I don't wanna go home" ― david lee roth, just like paradise.
 
"the great mystic rumi once said: what you seek is seeking you...so remember, when you are looking for your paradise, it is already looking for you" ― bodhi, just like paradise
----------------------
 
A LITTLE ABOUT BORA BORA
"it's all about finding your own sort of paradise, and i find mine at this quaint little spot by the sea" ― bodhi, my paradise

bora-bora is an island group in the leeward islands of the south pacific ocean, located at: 16° 29' 58.9236''S and 151° 46' 13.9368''W...bora bora has a tropical monsoon climate. temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year, with hot days and warm nights. average high is 85f with an average low of 77f...the dry season lasts from june to october, but there is some precipitation even during those months
 
 
the leeward islands comprise the western part of the society islands of french polynesia, which is an overseas collectivity of the french republic in the south pacific ocean. bora bora has a total land area of 30.55 km2 (12 sq mi). located about 230 kilometres (125 nautical miles) northwest of papeete, tahiti (the major island with an international airport in french polynesia). the main island of bora-bora is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. in the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano, rising to two peaks, mount pahia and mount otemanu; the highest point is at 727 m (2385 ft). the languages spoken in bora bora are tahitian and french. however, due to the high tourism population, many natives of bora bora have now learned to speak english.
 
 
bora bora is a major international tourist destination, famous for its seaside (and even offshore) luxury resorts. the major settlement, vaitape, is on the western side of the main island, opposite the main channel leading into the lagoon. produce of the island is mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and from the plentiful coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for the production of copra.
 
 
the island has been inhabited by polynesians since around the 3rd century. in ancient times the island was called pora pora mai te pora, meaning "created by the gods" in the local tahitian language. this was often abbreviated pora pora meaning simply "first born". the tahitian, along with the english, french and dutch languages each use a unique set of phonemes, so the spelling and pronunciation of the name changes as it passes from one language to another. since tahitian does not distinguish between the sounds [p] and [b], the sound represented by ⟨p⟩ lies between the two. so pora pora could also be heard by english, french or dutch speakers as bora bora. when european explorer jacob roggeveen first landed on the island in 1722, he and his crew adopted the name bora bora, which has stood ever since.
 
captain james cook sighted the island on 29 july 1769, with the help of a tahitian navigator, tupaia. the london missionary society arrived in 1820 and founded a protestant church in 1890 that still stands to this day. bora bora was an independent kingdom until 1888, when the french annexed the island as a colony and forced its last queen, teriimaevarua III, to abdicate.
 
 
bora bora is located in the so-called society islands, which are part of french polynesia, and is located about 260 km (162 mi) northwest of papeete, tahiti. it also has around it several motus, which are small elongated islets that usually have some width and vegetation. one of the most beautiful and photographed motus in polynesia is the tapu motu, especially before a hurricane carried away part of the tongues of sand at its ends.
 
 
bora bora is among the smaller of the islands of the society archipelago: the main island measures only 8 km (5 mi) from north to south and 5 km (3 mi) east to west; the total area of bora bora, including islets, is less than 39 km2 (15 sq mi). bora bora has an area of 29.3 km2 (11.3 sq mi) on the mountainous central island, which is an extinct volcano, itself surrounded by a lagoon separated from the sea by a reef...bora-bora is formed by an extinct volcano, surrounded by a lagoon and a fringing reef. its summit is mount otemanu at 727m (2385 ft) high located in the center of the atoll; another summit, mount pahia, on the main island, is 661 m (2169 ft) high...the main island has three open bays overlooking the lagoon: faanui bay, tuuraapuo bay or povai bay to the west, and hitiaa bay to the northwest. tuuraapuo bay separates the main island from two islets of volcanic nature: toopua and toopua-iti...
 
 
necklace-shaped coral reefs surround the central island and protect it from the open sea as if it were a dike. it is a barrier reef with only one opening to the ocean: the teavanui passage, located west of the main island, which allows most large cargo ships and cruise ships to enter the lagoon. they must, however, stay in a channel because outside the channel, much of the lagoon water is shallow. the barrier reef is very wide in some sections, where it exceeds two kilometers in width to the southwest of the island. to the east and north of the island, the reef supports a series of islets made up of coral ruins and sand (the motu). precisely, on one of them that is located to the north, the motu mute, is where the u.s. army built an important air base during the second world war, which has now become the modern airport of bora-bora...the lagoon, very abundant in fish, is remarkable for its breadth and beauty. its color varies with depth: dark indigo when it is deep (teavanui passage, poofai and faanui bays), all pastel shades of blue and green elsewhere. corals, when they are very close to the surface, along with the fauna that colonizes them, come to wear a wide variety of colors: egg yolk, red, blue or purple.
 
 
the main attraction of bora bora is it's lagoon with its still intact underwater world. by glass bottom boat, diving and snorkeling, you can explore the reef with thousands of colorful coral fish. in the deep lagoon there are barracudas and sharks that you can feed during guided diving excursions. an attraction for divers is the "stingray strait", an area of the lagoon where several species of stingrays are found in large schools, including numerous manta rays and leopard rays.
 
 
parts of the interior of the island can be explored on jeep safaris. however, the natural beauty of the island is best explored on foot. several hikes can be done from vaitape, but it is advisable to rely on a guide to keep your bearings. the hike to the top of mount pahia, from where, according to legend, the war god oro descended on a rainbow, leads through orchards, forests, orchid fields and fern-covered crevices. you can also climb mount otemanu, which offers a beautiful panoramic view of the atoll. below the summit is a large grotto where numerous frigate birds nest.
 
 
another attraction are the remains of what were more than 40 marae (ceremonial platforms). the best preserved are marae fare opu, in faanui bay, and marae aehau-tai or temaruteaoa, at the eastern end of vairau bay. another large aboriginal ceremonial site is marae marotitini, in the north of the main island, right on the beach. the stone platform of the complex was originally 42m (138 ft) long and was restored in 1968 by japanese archaeologist yosihiko sinoto. two stone box tombs of the royal family were found in the area of the complex.
 
 
most beaches (and also the numerous hotels) are located in the two large bays between pointe paopao and pointe matira, in the southwest of the island, as well as on the motus opposite. matira beach located here is widely considered to be one of the top five most beautiful beaches in the world...
 
 
 
and about five kilometers south of vaitape, directly on the main road, is bloody mary's, a bar and restaurant with its own yacht jetty, frequented by many guests. the two wooden plaques at the entrance list 230 famous names, including marlon brando, jane fonda and diana ross...
 
 
 
originally released in 1984 on the footloose movie soundtrack, here is another fine tune to go along absolutely splendidly with my impression and blog today. it's a duet that beautifully pairs lead singer ann wilson of the rock group heart, and lead singer mike reno of the rock group loverboy. they sing about how they have found paradise in their love for each other, such a sweet and powerful love ballad that's really timeless..."almost paradise" by mike reno and ann wilson.... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"i thought that dreams belonged to other men. because each time i got close, they'd fall apart again. i feared my heart would beat in secrecy, i faced the nights alone. oh, how could i have known that all my life i only needed you? oh, almost paradise. we're knocking on heaven's door. almost paradise, how could we ask for more? i swear that i can see forever in your eyes, paradise...it seems like perfect love's so hard to find. i'd almost given up, you must have read my mind. and all these dreams i saved for a rainy day. they're finally coming true, i'll share them all with you. because now we hold the future in our hands. oh, almost paradise, we're knockin' on heaven's door. almost paradise, how could we ask for more? i swear that i can see forever in your eyes, paradise...and in your arms salvation's not so far away, it's getting closer, closer every day. almost paradise, we're knockin' on heaven's door. almost paradise, how could we ask for more? i swear that i can see forever in your eyes, paradise, paradise, paradise" ― mike reno and ann wilson, almost paradise.
 
"paradise inside this moment. so peaceful. so soulful. so idyllic. so beautiful. such tranquility. such contentment. such spirit. such love. right here. right now. inside paradise." ― bodhi, just like paradise
----------------------
 
MORE BODHI QUOTES
and now here are a few more quotes from bodhi (a.k.a.bodhinku). from past blogs to help add to the deeper meaning of this blog today...
 
"i've always dreamed of going to bora-bora on my honeymoon, staying in the tiki huts over crystal clear lagoons with my future wife...i'm 55 now, i just gave up waiting on the fabled dreamy honeymoon in my head, decided that there's no better time than the present, so i went to bora-bora all by myself" ― bodhi, worlds apart
 
"i'm in awe of the universe, looking up into the sky, the glowing colors of twilight, the maroons, pinks, purples, greens and blues mingling with the flowing clouds take my soul and breath away" ― bodhi, worlds apart
 
"paradise.
inside.
this moment. 
so peaceful. 
so soulful. 
so beautiful. 
such tranquility.
such contentment. 
such love. 
right here.
right now.
inside.
paradise" 
 
"after watching a gorgeous sunset on bora bora, a tropical island that's "worlds apart" from anywhere else on this planet, i'm treated to a beautiful concerto of glowing heavenly bodies in the twilight sky, dancing across stars and pirouetting through the clouds above" ― bodhi, worlds apart
 
"on this night, there's no conflict. there's no tough decision to ponder. there's no stress, no worry, no fogginess. there's clarity in relaxing and letting go of the unimportant. there's only peace. there's only love. there's only the next breath entering my lungs, followed by the next exhale letting me know i'm alive. so alive...this is life, and life is good" ― bodhi, onofre
 
"glowing crescent moon
venus, jupiter, neptune,
the comet cross the sky
no questions why
worlds apart
my soul and heart
everything's surreal
and so alive i feel
lucid as the cosmos seem
deep from this waking dream" 
 
"you are a warrior for the inner peace within you. have courage to embrace this and live. confront life head on, and make every moment count no matter what. especially at times when everything seems to be falling down around you, reach out and hold on simultaneously, wrap a smile around a giggle, persevere through, feel the peace inside of every breath. and you feel more alive than ever" ― bodhi, onofre

"it's all about 
finding your 
own sort of 
paradise, 
and i'm 
finding mine at 
this quaint 
little spot by 
the sea" 
 
"most of the time, i'm at peace with the only thing i need to be happy: myself...it's at those other times when i truly need the therapeutic focus of my photography" ― bodhi, onofre
 
"it's a silent orchestra playing the orgasmic melodies of space, mixing them with earth, making colorful and breathtaking celestial candy for all eyes to behold! it's an amazing gift and message from the universe that's other worldly and "worlds apart" from everything else in this world" ― bodhi, worlds apart
--------------------
 
MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
this next tune is yet another perfect song to go along with my impression and blog today, it has a strong heart warming beach vibe feel to it, and is sung by jimmy buffett and the zac brown band...it's all about finding your own sort of paradise, and i find mine here at this quaint little spot over this tropical lagoon under the milky way. you can listen to the gentle waves under the pier as you stargaze, or just go back onto the white sands beach and walk for miles with the glowing stars above lighting the way, having the whole scene all to your own because the island is still asleep..."knee deep" by zac brown band (with jimmy buffett). ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"gonna put the the world away for a minute, pretend I don't live in it, sunshine gonna wash my blues away. had sweet love but i lost it, she got too close so i fought it. now i'm lost in the world trying to find me a better way. wishing i was knee deep in the water somewhere. got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair. only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair. sunrise there's a fire in the sky, never been so happy, never felt so high, and i think i might have found me my own kind of paradise...wrote a note said i'd be back in a minute. bought a boat and i sailed off in it. don't think anybody gonna miss me anyway. my mind's on a permanent vacation, the ocean is my only medication, wishing my condition ain't ever gonna go away. because now i'm knee deep in the water somewhere. got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair. only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair. sunrise there's a fire in the sky. never been so happy, never felt so high. and i think i might have found me my own kind of paradise...this champagne shore washing over me. it's a sweet sweet life living by the salty sea. one day you could be as lost as me. change you're geography, maybe you might be: knee deep in the water somewhere. got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair. only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair. sunset there's a fire in the sky, never been so happy, never felt so high. and i think i might have found me my own kind of paradise...come on in the water it's nice. find yourself a little slice. grab a backpack of lies. you never know until you try. when you lose yourself, you find the key to paradise" ― zac brown band (featuring jimmy buffett), knee deep.
 
although this next tune is close to 45yrs old, it's still such a great rockin' tune...and it has wonderful meaning that's parallel to the meaning of my impression today...think about it, if you waited so long and waited, and waited, and now finally you have two tickets to come see the polynesian paradise of bora-bora, wouldn't you do it? i did. but i'd been waiting to come here with my future wife on our honeymoon, even saved up a tidy sum of money for it. but i gave up waiting for her and i to finally meet. so i figured there's no better time than the present, and i booked my trip to paradise solo, deciding to just go to bora bora on my own. besides, if she ever finds me (and i find her) in this life, i can always buy two tickets to paradise and take her back here to bora bora again in the future... "two tickets to paradise" by eddie money. ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"i've got a surprise especially for you. something that both of us have always wanted to do. we've waited so long, waited so long. we've waited so long, waited so long. i'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here. i've got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we're gonna disappear. we've waited so long, waited so long. we've waited so long, waited so long...i've got two tickets to paradise. won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight. i've got two tickets to paradise. i've got two tickets to paradise. i'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here. i've got two tickets in my pocket, baby, we'll disappear. know why? we've waited so long, waited so long. we've waited so long, waited so long...i've got two tickets to paradise. won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight. i've got two tickets to paradise. won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight. i've got two tickets to paradise. won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight. i've got two tickets to paradise...i've got two tickets to paradise" ― eddie money, two tickets to paradise.
 
"to make hell into paradise, we only need to change the mind on which it is based...with your deluded mind, you make hell for yourself. with your true mind, you make paradise" ― thich nhat hanh, the heart of the buddha's teaching
 
"if you dwell only in your suffering, you will miss paradise" ― thich nhat hanh, the heart of the buddha's teaching
 
"if powerful men and women could remain centered in the tao, all things would be in harmony. the world would become a paradise. all people would be at peace, and the law would be written in their hearts" ― lao tzu, tao te ching 
 
"i'm simple. i'm looking for giggles and belly laughs, blessed saturday adventures to nowhere except your eyes, cuddling on the couch watching romance movies, endless conversation, deep soul sex, and penetrating, lingering kisses that last for days on our lips. that sounds like paradise to me" ― c. ara campbell, soul deep
 
"because see, a sunset is proof, my dearest eternal sweetheart, that endings can often be beautiful too" ― beau taplin, here at dawn  
 
"love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. we simply have to accept it, because it is what nourishes our existence" ― paulo coelho, warrior of the light
 
"we must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence, to find that enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song. but in that dance, and in that song, the most ancient rites of our conscience fulfill themselves in the awareness of being human" ― pablo neruda
 
"this is my fundamental teaching: that there is no division between this and that. that is contained in this, the other shore is contained in this shore. you need not go anywhere. if you can be joyous, flowing, alive, sensitive, orgasmic, this very shore immediately is transformed into the other shore. this very world is the paradise" ― osho, the secret of secrets
 
"the earth isn’t solid. it's made of molecules and atoms, tiny universes filled with space. it's a paradise of mystery, light, and magic, if you only open your eyes" ― dan millman, way of the peaceful warrior
 
"dammit, i can’t get anything done because i’m so busy thinking about kissing. kissing is madness! but it’s absolute paradise, if you can find a good kisser" ― shannon l. alder
 
"here is an amazement—once i was twenty years old and in every motion of my body there was a delicious ease, and in every motion of the green earth there was a hint of paradise...and now i am sixty years old, and it is the same" ― mary oliver, west wind
 
"in any moment when we choose fear instead of love, we deny ourselves the experience of paradise" ― marianne williamson, return to love
 
"a kind heart finds paradise everywhere" ― deepak chopra, buddha
 
"it seems like the idea of paradise is just on the horizon, always, while life is here, under my feet, now...might as well enjoy it, learn to appreciate the good waves, the paddling, the ferocious storms, and the mundane moments--the quiet lulls between swells" ― jaimal yogis, saltwater buddha
 
"there is a paradise, and all true artists work to the glory of its existence, even if they do not always believe with conventional or organised faith" ― henry williamson, the phoenix generation
 
"i remember seeing a bumper sticker that said, "i believe in life before death." to me this means that we don’t have to imagine a future paradise. paradise can happen right here, right now, while we’re in this human incarnation. the choice is ours" ― anam thubten, no self no problem
 
"the problem with finding paradise is that others might find it, too" ― eric weiner, the geography of bliss
 
"i'd like to tell them to hold on tight to that person beside them, because that's where they'll find paradise. it is not a beach or a palm tree grove or the brim of a smoking black crater. it's a plateau inside their hearts, one that can only be reached in tandem" ― ellen hopkins, collateral
 
"yes, it is there, you may be sure, i shall be sent for my paradise. more than one soul of those i have loved must be apportioned there" ― edmond rostand, cyrano de bergerac
 
"if you look hard enough, you can find paradise even in the darkest places" ― ryan calejo, the league of shadows
 
"and if we all did what we should, we would wake to find ourselves in paradise" ― deborah harkness, the book of life
 
"when i look into your eyes, i loose all sense of time and place. reason robbed, clear thought erased, i am lost in the paradise i find within you gaze...i long to touch your blushing cheek, to whisper in your ear how i adore you, how i cannot bear the thought of living without you...to be so near you without touching you is agony. your blindness to my feelings is a daily torment, and i feel driven to the edge of madness by my love for you" ― julianne donaldson, edenbrooke
 
"out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. i'll meet you there" ― jalaluddin rumi, words of paradise
 
"when you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy." ― jalaluddin rumi, words of paradise
 
"what you seek is seeking you" ― jalaluddin rumi, words of paradise
 
"knee deep in the water somewhere. got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair. only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair. sunrise there's a fire in the sky, never been so happy, never felt so high. and i think i might have found me my own kind of paradise" ― zac brown band (featuring jimmy buffett), knee deep.
----------------------
 
ABOUT THIS IMPRESSION
"believe me, bora-bora could easily pass for a definition of paradise. it's an ideal place like eden, a blissful heaven full of eye-pleasing delights" ― bodhi, just like paradise
 
pictured here shining over a tiki pier on the tropical island of bora bora is the night sky of the southern hemisphere, which i feel is so much more beautiful than the sky i regularly get to see in the northern hemisphere. in the south, the milky way is positioned better with the core always so much higher in the sky...this photo was taken on february 22nd 2023, and the glowing milky way core is as high up in the sky as it would be in late may in the northern part of the planet...
 
plus, if you look closely to the right hand side about 2/3rd the way up, you will see a bright constellation resembling a kite, this is the famous "southern cross" (if you connect the dots up and down and across, it forms a classic cross) which is always located over the south pole and is used in navigation in the southern hemisphere just like polaris (the north star) is used in the northern hemisphere...
 
this impression was taken on the property of the royal bora bora resort where i stayed on the southern shore of this beautiful tropical island in french polynesia on february 22, 2023...
 
the entire impression is comprised of two separate exposures taken a couple hours apart from each other and then merged into one photo using layers in adobe photoshop cc...a first exposure (f'/2.8@24mm for 15 sec, iso-3200) of the night sky, the stars and milky way was taken at 4:44am local time, and a second exposure (f'/16@24mm for 20 secs, iso-64) of the tiki pier and lagoon in the foreground captured a little over an hour later about 10 minutes before the sunrise at 5;55am local time...
 
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...
 
for the first exposure of the milky way and night sky (f'/2.8@24mm for 15 secs, iso-3200), i used one progreyusa filter. along with the progrey g-120z antarctic magnetic holder. to secure that filter to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. ... i used an inverted 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 three stops the much brighter red-glowing light at the horizon level and allow for the entire sky with the stars, milky way, and southern cross constellation to balance out much better...
 
for the second separate exposure, to get the effects and balance i was looking for in the tiki pier and lagoon foreground exposure of this composition (f'/16@24mm for 20 secs, iso-64), i used two progreyusa filters. along with the same progrey g-120z antarctic magnetic holder. to secure those filters to my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. in the case of this exposure however, i used a different filter, a 0.9 reverse 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 at the horizon level, the pre-sunrise light, an extra three stops and help permit details in the shadows of the tiki hut, the waters under the pier, and the boards of the pier in the foreground to come out better in the exposure...plus, i also used a 1.8nd progrey aurora filter. to stop down the exposure six stops, which permits for a longer exposure in the available light, thus creating the smoothed-out water of the lagoon and more of a dreamy effect with the image ...
 
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...
 
"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
-------------------------------------------------
 
please visit me at:
 
#paradise #glowing #night #sky #tropical #island #bora-bora #french #polynesia #tahiti #tiki #pier #lagoon #pacific #ocean #progreyusa #benro #nikon #d850 #lowepro #stars #milky #way #southern #cross #ethereal #heavenly #cosmos # dreamy #heavens #luminous #sublime #magical #radiance #glorious #inspiration #believe #faith #hope #namaste #impressionist #expressionist #surreal #bodhi #rumi