"Que Sera Sera" by Bodhi Smith

Oct 14, 2022

"que sera sera" a new impression from bodhi smith...
 
"i see this impression as and unwavering hope of the unchanging past, seen in the never-ending stars in the sky keeping an eye upon own little world, opening our eyes to the beauty of the universe as we look up, and keep our heads up, keep our chins up, stay positive and optimistic in the hopes that life is going to be beautiful no matter what happens. let it all just be. simply because we are we, we're alive and can see. que sera sera....whatever will be, will be" ― bodhi, que sera sera
 
"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. whatever is done, is done. whatever will be will be. it's this that's important: whatever you feel, you become. that is your responsibility" ― osho, the secret of secrets
 
"the beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday" ― steve maraboli, unapologetically you
 
"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
 
"true happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so, wants nothing" ― seneca the younger
 
"you have to accept whatever comes, and the only important thing is that you meet it with the best you have to give" ― eleanor roosevelt
 
"flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free: stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. this is the ultimate" ― zhuangzi

"accept - then act. whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. always work with it, not against it." ― eckhart tolle
 
"let it all just,
be...
simple because we are,
we...
we're alive and can,
see...
whatever will be will,
be..."
 
as an inspirational writer, and visionary author, and founder of "the goddess circle" website, c. ara campbell really strikes words to print that are now so very profoundly poignant and meaningful...her following quote here just fills me with reflective thoughts:
 
"as humans, things are always changing around us. new chapters open and new beginnings sprawl promisingly in front of us. possibility shines brightly as we move towards some long held dream. desires inspire us and fuel our imagination. "hope springs eternal", as the old saying goes...but, as there are always beginnings, invariably there will be endings. chapters close in our lives with the passing of time, situations and relationships transforming. some of them don’t work out the way we want, and we are forced to reconcile the loss of that which never was or will never be...we may not always be able to control the world around us, but we can control our actions...we have always have a choice, whether it’s how to act or react. we choose our intentions and our words. we can choose when these endings occur or our actions in the aftermath of that which is beyond our control. it’s not always easy, but our path on this planet is one of evolution and growth. we are here to expand as we experience. nothing stays the same and neither do we. we choose whether we grow through our wounds and fears, or whether we let them define our path on the planet....being a human isn’t always easy...in an ever changing world, how can we ever hope to stay afloat, let alone navigate the rough seas on the way to our dreams? how do we move towards the unknown in uncertainty and in some cases disbelief? the only thing i can offer is to root yourself in your own truth, deeper than you ever have before. put your energy and effort into your dreams and desires. focus your energy on what you want to grow...because at the end of the day, our medicine is what we are here to bring into being. relationships fall apart. life changes. but what you are here to bring to the world is something only you can. and that is something to instill us with hope, even in the face of the unknown" ―  c. ara campbell, in an ever changing world    
 
this first song has the same title and meaning as my impression and blog today, so it fits in perfectly and it's also another cool connection that i have to my favorite director of all time, alfred hitchcock...the song was written by jay livingstone and ray edwards exclusively for hitchcock's movie in 1956, "the man who knew too much" (another suspenseful classic by hitchcock, as he remade one of his earlier films even better)... it's performed by doris day who starred as the film's leading lady, and the tune won the academy award for best original song from a motion picture in 1956 ... "que sera sera (what ever will be will be)" by doris day ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...

"when i was just a little girl, i asked my mother, what will i be? will i be pretty? will i be rich? here's what she said to me: qué será, será. whatever will be, will be. the future's not ours to see. qué será, será. what will be, will be...when i grew up and fell in love, i asked my sweetheart what lies ahead? will we have rainbows day after day? here's what my sweetheart said: qué será, será.whatever will be, will be. the future's not ours to see. qué será, será. what will be, will be...now i have children of my own. they ask their mother, what will i be? will i be handsome? will i be rich? i tell them tenderly: qué será, será. whatever will be, will be. the future's not ours to see. qué será, será. what will be, will be. qué será, será" ― doris day, que sera sera
 
"just let it all be. because no matter what, whatever will be will be. when you accept that simple fact, you'll live a longer, richer life" ― bodhi, que sera sera
----------------------
 
MEANING
"standing at the cusp of the pacific, i'm a small and insignificant being compared the ocean's massive size and volume...and i feel even more minescual and irrelevant floating on my speck of a rock in a grain of time abounded by the infinite numbers of glowing heavenly bodies in the vast universe all around...seeing the billions of stars in the sky rising up from the distant horizon in a crescendo to reach the zenith of my world, singing que sera sera, the boulders and i know that we are not alone, no matter how lonely we might be...life is good, no matter what happens or how much things change, whatever will be will be..." ― bodhi, que sera sera
 
"que sera sera" is translated into english to mean "whatever will be will be"...its origins are really italian, but the words are now spanish, although the usage of the phrase is entirely from the english speaking world...
 
pictured here are timeless boulders, being weathered by the salty waves of the ocean...under the infinity of the universe with all its glowing stars by the billions forever lighting up the sky. the boulders, the waves, the stars do not worry about anything, they know definitively what will be will be and stay their course....que sera sera...
 
the sands of time fall away one grain after another and there they are as they were meant to be. things end, things begin, things live, things die, things are reborn. one moment turns into the next moment. one day becomes the next day. one year becomes the next year. one century becomes the next century. one millennium become the next millennium, one billion years, becomes two billion years...the circle flows on and on...que sera sera...
 
whatever once was, will be again. and whatever will be will be. it is a perfect circle as we spin in a circle, circling a small yellow star that is circling in a spiral around the center of a small galaxy, a galaxy that is but one of a billion such bodies full of its own stars, and gases, and rocks, and space dust in an ever-expanding universe...que sera sera...
 
the universe tells us an important message...worry, anxiety, stressing over things that you cannot change or do anything about is madness. it tears you up, mentally and physically over nothing. it' so unhealthy. it's purely senseless. instead, breath in, breathe out, just let it all be. because no matter what, whatever will be will be. when you accept that simple fact, you'll live a longer, richer life...que sera sera...
 
"do not look down in despair, but instead look up for hope, look into the heavens above and reflect. accept what is, for whatever will be will be. remember that darkness is full of twinkling stars and followed by sunshine soon after" ― bodhi, que sera sera
 
because, not only is my visit to new zealand short here (only 10 days), but also my moment in time is an even shorter visit on this beautiful planet considering the billions of years it has been home to so many different life forms...right now, i know i'm blessed to be alive, and living my life...que sera sera...
 
i see this impression as and unwavering hope of the unchanging past, seen in the never-ending stars in the sky keeping an eye upon own little world, opening our eyes to the beauty of the universe as we look up, and keep our heads up, keep our chins up, stay positive and optimistic in the hopes that life is going to be beautiful no matter what happens. let it all just be. simply because we are we, we're alive and can see...whatever will be, will be...que sera sera...
 
here's another perfect tune, another song with the same title to add some deeper meaning to my impression and blog today ..."que sera sera" by havana ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ...
 
"sun rising over me and you, a green light turning into blue. long time you sent away, away and goes in vain. and every morning feels like you, you can go now. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. solo contigo quiero estar, que sera sera...the way your lips align into a perfect smile and how your hips move so sexy...ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. solo contigo quiero estar, que sera sera...listen to my heartbeat, it's your name on it. escucha mi corazon. como grita por to amor tu dulce amor...ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera. ai que sera sera que sera, que sera sera" ― havana, que sera sera
 
"the future is not ours to see, it's ours to live. worry not and just live. whatever will happen is going to happen. whatever will be will be, so let it be...be thankful to be alive. be happy to just be...que sera sera" ― bodhi, que sera sera
-------------------  
 
STORY BEHIND THIS IMPRESSION
"three boulders seem to be all alone at the ocean's edge on a beach...they're there by choice, they're very old souls, with shells all weathered and cracked. they've spend their days alone together, but they're not lonely, they have each other. and during the day the company of the sun to warm them, and the stars to accompany them all night long, and the waves are forever wrapping around each of them, blanketing them and caressing them with their endless motion....the boulders have faith that all these things will always be there for them, with them, and they have each other, so they are truly never alone" ― bodhi, never alone
 
pictured here are the moeraki boulders, a grouping of massive unique egg-like rocks which are scattered along koekohe beach on eastern shore on the south island of new zealand,..there are more than fifty strangely spherical boulders of different sizes, some in clusters, others lying separate. The biggest ones are over six feet in diameter, and weigh seven tons...so, although they look like bowling balls, there's no shifting them. Even the sea does not move them anymore. many of them are perfectly spherical with large cracks in them called “septaria”, which radiate from the hollow core and are filled with yellow or brown calcite, dolomite, and quartz...  

whether half concealed by the sand, or almost fully exposed, it's clear from their scaly surface that they're all formed the same way. the moeraki boulders have large cracks  They are concretions, which as the name suggests are made of sedimentary particles stuck together, hard and compact, formed layer by layer like a pearl over the course of four million years. they formed on the seabed around 60 million years ago, and since the land has risen from the sea, the waves have eroded the soft mudstone surrounding the bounders in the cliffs above the beach, exposing and releasing the boulders onto the beach. You can see more still up there, partially exposed, that will eventually fall to join the others. Don't hold your breath waiting, though.  

and unfortunately for the boulders, ever since there have been tourists, people have been coming here to marvel at the stones, jump from one to another, and drape themselves photogenically across them. unwittingly and carelessly damaging them at times...and of course today the combination of a camera and social media makes the lure irresistible of getting a picture the world will love from here...with the back drop of the sea, these geological oddities have become a majorly popular photo stop on the south Island of new zealand.

when the moeraki boulders were first discovered in the 19th Century by europeans, many more boulders existed on the beach until people used to take them home as souvenirs...it is illegal to take a moeraki boulder today (although, i’d like to see you try and lift one) and some of the boulders that used to be on the beach are now in the otago museum in dunedin...  

legend has it through the maori (aborigines of new zealand), that the boulders represented the remains eel, kumara and food baskets that washed up on the shores after the legendary waka araiteuru (canoe), wrecked off the nearby shores of shag point (matakaea) after bringing ngai tahu's ancestors from hawaii.

some theorize that the moeraki boulders are alien eggs and the cracked boulders are eggs that have already hatched (and now of course they walk among us!)...and there are more boulders around new zealand like this that exist, such as the katiki boulders about 20km south of moeraki and the koutu boulders in hokianga on the north island, so maybe even more of them are walking amongst us...
 
"worry, anxiety, stressing over things that you cannot change or do anything about is madness. it tears you up, mentally and physically over nothing. it' so unhealthy. it's purely senseless. instead, breath in, breathe out, just let it all be. because no matter what, whatever will be will be. when you accept that simple fact, you'll live a longer, richer life" ― bodhi, que sera sera
----------------------
 
MORE MEANINGFUL QUOTES
here is another song to listen, and just like last week, i really wish people would truly listen to this song, truly hear its lyrics, and heed in its message to the world... beautiful song that is full of hope and love (just click on the artist name or title of song for the music)... let it be by the beatles ...

"when i find myself in times of trouble, mother mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom, let it be. and in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, whisper words of wisdom, let it be...and when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be. for though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see there will be an answer, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be...there will be an answer, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be...whisper words of wisdom, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, whisper words of wisdom, let it be...and when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me, shine until tomorrow, let it be. i wake up to the sound of music, mother mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom, let it be...let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be...there will be an answer, let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be...whisper words of wisdom, let it be" ― the beatles, let it be
 
"reflect on why your life is precious. ask yourself: “what inspires me to live?”....reflect on the fact that death is unavoidable, and on how you want to live your life. ask yourself: “how am i being in this life? what am i doing with my life?”....reflect that actions have consequences, and on some of the consequences of your actions. ask yourself: “what actions have been a gain to my life? what actions have been a cost in my life?”....reflect on the ocean of inevitable suffering, the waves of sickness, aging, and death that one day will come even to you. ask yourself: “what am i feeling right now?" ― siddhartha gautama buddha, the dhammapada
 
"be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. when you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you" ― lao tzu tao te ching
 
"life, like photography, is a series of moments which capture our attention. these moments seduce us out of our normal routine, tantalizing our senses. for a brief pause in time, the stars align perfectly and a once in a million shot presents itself to our eyes, to our experience alone. we become a privileged private audience, beholding the magic and the mystery of the universe unfolding before us...finding the shot is as important to photography as it is to our everyday experience. when a camera is in our hands, the eye becomes sharp, tracking across people and places for the perfect way to portray the beauty that we behold. we are charged with finding the best way to translate what we see, opening to the new ways that we can decipher the language that surrounds us...life is much the same way, offering us the opportunity to look past the mundane and into the beauty that the world has to offer. it whispers to find the shot, find what is calling to our soul and move towards the expression of it. though sometimes harder than others, we are tasked with opening our eyes in order to see the best way towards this that we desire...look for the shot and take it....go after what you want. take the risk. in life, love, and photography" ― c. ara campbell, look for the shot
 
"i think the beating in our hearts was put there to remind us that even when we are alone in the world, we march on. that even in the enormous dark and quiet, we always have someone to lean on, to embrace and turn to. that even when we have no one else, we always have ourselves" ― beau taplin, buried light
 
"beauty is present in all creation, but the danger lies in the fact that we allow ourselves to be influenced by what people think. we deny our own beauty because others can't recognize it. we try to imitate what we see around us. we try to be what other people think of as perfect, and little by little, our soul fades. we forget the world is what we imagine it to be. we stop being the stars and become, instead, the pool of water reflecting them" ― paulo coelho, manuscript found in accra
 
"higher purpose: i am here to serve. i am here to inspire. i am here to love. i am here to live my truth...awareness: i will spend ten minutes observing instead of speaking. i will sit quietly by myself just to sense how my body feels...being: i will spend half an hour in a peaceful place doing nothing except feeling what it is like to exist. i will lie outstretched on the grass and feel the earth languidly revolving under me. i will take in three breaths and let them out as gently as possible...efficiency: i will let at least two things out of my control and see what happens. i will gaze at a rose and reflect—then i will ask if my life has blossomed this efficiently. i will lie in a quiet place by the ocean, and breathe in its rhythms...immortality: i will sit and silently experience the gap between breathing in and breathing out, feeling the eternal in the present moment" ― deepak chopra, the book of secrets
 
"thank you for this new day, its beauty and its light. thank you for my chance to begin again. free me from the limitations of yesterday. today may i be reborn. may i become more fully a reflection of radiance, with strength and compassion and courage and wisdom. let me see the light in myself and others. may i recognize the good that is available everywhere" ― marianne williamson, illuminata
 
"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, the power of now
 
"to leave the thread of all time
and let it make a dark line
in hopes that i can still find
the way back to the moment
i took the turn and turned to
begin a new beginning
still looking for the answer
i cannot find the finish
it's either this or that way
it's one way or the other
it should be one direction
it could be on reflection
the turn i have just taken
the turn that i was making
i might be just beginning
i might be near the end" 
 
"perhaps the best cure for the fear of death is to reflect that life has a beginning as well as an end. there was a time when we were not: this gives us no concern. why, then, should it trouble us that a time will come when we shall cease to be?" ― william hazlitt
 
"time? time freezes
as they gaze
into each other's eyes.
no beginning, no end,
in sight, a deep vast ocean,
a universe is reflected.

like a key to a lock,
they are.

all the days that have been,
all the days to come;
they stand in a place
beyond
and within it all"
 
"sometimes what seems to be the ending of something is really the beginning of everything" ― katie mcgahan, reflections on life
 
“every day i stand at turning points. my thoughts and actions can propel me toward growth, or turn me down the road to old habits. sometimes turning points are beginnings, as when i decide to start praising, instead of condemning someone. or when i begin to ask for help instead of going it alone. at other times turning points are endings, such as when i see clearly the need to stop festering resentments or crippling self-seeking. many shortcomings tempt me daily; therefore, i also have daily opportunities to become aware of them. in one form or another, many of my character defects appear daily: self-condemnation, anger, running away, being prideful, wanting to get even, or acting out of grandiosity. attempting half measures to eliminate these defects merely paralyzes my efforts to change. it is only when i ask my beloved for help, with complete abandon, that i become willing, and able, to change" ― alcoholics anonymous, daily reflections
 
"you are the drop, and the ocean
you are kindness, you are anger,
you are sweetness, you are poison.
do not make me more disheartened.

you are the chamber of the sun,
you are the abode of venus,
you are the garden of all hope.
oh, beloved, let me enter" 
 
"hardship may dishearten at first, but every hardship passes away. all despair is followed by hope, always" ― jalaluddin rumi, poems of ecstasy and longing
 
"never lose hope, my heart, miracles dwell in the invisible. if the whole world turns against you, keep your eyes on your faith" ― jalaluddin rumi, the essential rumi
-------------------
 
ABOUT THIS IMPRESSION
"worry, anxiety, stressing over things that you cannot change or do anything about is madness. it tears you up, mentally and physically over nothing. it' so unhealthy. it's purely senseless. instead, breath in, breathe out, just let it all be. because no matter what, whatever will be will be. when you accept that simple fact, you'll live a longer, richer life" ― bodhi, que sera sera
 
this is a two-frame long exposure composition of three moeraki boulders under the stars in the wee hours of the night and then later for sunrise morning of the 22 february, 2020 (02-22-2020)...one long exposure of the rocks and beach (f/11@22mm for 333 secs, iso-64)... merged with a star exposure (f'/2.8@22mm for 15 secs, iso-3200)... 
 
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 boulders on the beach exposure of this composition (f/11@22mm for 333 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 14-24mm f/2.8 ... 
 
first, a 3.0 nd progrey antarctica filter to bring the light in the image down 10 stops and permit for the long 5 minute and 33 second exposure to allow for a much longer exposure (10 stops) and help saturate all the predawn violets and blues of the sands and waves, plus in combination with a 0.9 gnd progrey aurora filter to help balance in-camera overall the image the way i envisioned it, as the pre-dawn glowing sky was much more brighter, about 3 stops brighter than the rest of the darker parts and shadows of the foreground of the image composition
 
for the separate exposure of the stars (f'/2.8@22mm for 15 secs, iso-3200), no filters were necessary in the star exposure, so none were used...
 
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:

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

 

#benro #progreyusa #nikon #d850 #lowepro #new #zealand #moeraki #boulders #beach #pacific #ocean #night #stars #milkyway #heavens #universe #celestial #silence #glowing #divinity #dream #inspiration #tranquility #love #hope #faith #namaste #impressionist #surreal #bodhi #rumi #osho #lao #buddha