"Resolve" by Bodhi Smith

Sep 23, 2022

"resolve" a brand new impression and blog from me...
 
"i resolve to abide" ― bodhinku, resolve
 
"i carry such resolve for her to come into my life...i endure through all these lonely nights and mornings, going to bed without her, waking up missing her. i persevere eating alone, watching movies by myself. i survive through tough lessons of fake people and all the hurt and pain. i withstand each tear of frustration walking down my path with only my shadow and my doggie beside me. i abide the loneliness. i'm resolved to be alone until she finds me again" ― bodhi, resolve
 
"like the cypress tree, 
we must live with 
all the inevitable 
changes happening to 
each of us
as the river flows...
what's thrown at us,
we persevere,
we live on, 
we abide with 
our resolve" 
 
"you resolve to be patient. but the trouble is, you think you have time...nothing is forever except change" ― gautama siddhartha buddha (modified by bodhinku)
 
"the oak fought the wind and was broken, the cypress bent with resolve, and thrived" 
 
"as the colorful leaves in the fall let go of their resistance to the changing seasons, to their branches, to their pasts and fly into the fall air, so do we all in the autumn and this one is especially so with a vibrant changing tapestry during this time which has the power to bring about an entirely new landscape into our lives....the energy of the autumn mirrors this inward journey as we shift our attention from the external world and begin to make our descent into the darkness once more. this is not a time to mourn the end of colour, but to embrace the changing of the tides; the death and rebirth in the seasons, and of the self in a colorful and vibrant way. autumn leaves tumble to the earth below and show no fear in the dance from branch to ground. they know the time has come, they feel it deep within; the time to evolve with the changing season is here. in the coming twilight, we open to the transformation that flows and surrender to this time of celebrating what was, grieving what has ended, and opening to all that has yet to be. so they let go of the branch and fly into the unknown embracing the icy winds and uncertain horizons. the time to surrender to the fall has come once more. i wish you much love and light upon your colorful journey" ― c. ara campbell 
 
"i'm resolved no longer to linger,
charmed by the world's delight;
things that are higher, things that are nobler,
these have allured my sight.
i'll hasten to her,
hasten so glad and free;
my beloved, greatest, highest,
i'll come to thee.

i'm resolved to go to her,
leaving my worry and strife;
she's the true one, she's the just one,
she has the words of life" 
 
"i resolved to call her up a thousand times a day and ask her if she'll marry me in some old-fashioned way. but my silent fears have gripped me, long before i reach the phone, long before my tongue has tripped me. must i always be alone? every little thing she does is magic, everything she do just turns me on. even though my life before was tragic, now i know my love for her goes on" 
 
"keep busy with your resolve. imitate the trees. learn to lose in order to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long, not even pain, both emotional and physical pain. sit it out. let it all pass. let it go" ― may sarton, journal of a solitude
 
"being at a loss to resolve these questions, i am resolved to leave them without any resolution" 
 
"there is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent, or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul" ― ella wheeler wilcox
 
"resolve, and thou art free" ― henry wadsworth longfellow, flower-de-luce
 
"obstacles cannot crush me; every obstacle yields to stern resolve" ― leonardo da vinci
 
"i’ve chosen my life—now i want to start living it" ― stephenie meyer, twilight saga
 
"when she finally finds me and i look into her eyes, i'll know i've always known her. she has the words of my life under her tongue. she is out there with the resolve to discover me, as i'm here with the resolve to wait until she finds me. and at that moment, it'll all be worth wading through all these dark times i'm now living" ― bodhi, resolve
 
this beautiful alternative song from 2010 is full of deeply meaningful lyrics, similar to what i am trying to say with my blog today here...it's about having the resolve to make it through all the tough times, "the dog days", and when they are over, happiness floods into your life "dog days are over" by florence + the machine ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the musical selection)....

"happiness hit her like a train on a track coming towards her stuck still no turning back. she hid around corners and she hid under beds. she killed it with kisses and from it she fled. with every bubble, she sank with her drink and washed it away down the kitchen sink. the dog days are over, the dog days are done. the horses are coming so you better run. run fast for your mother, run fast for your father. run for your children, for your sisters and brothers. leave all your love and your longing behind. you can't carry it with you if you want to survive. the dog days are over, the dog days are done. can you hear the horses? because here they come. and i never wanted anything from you, except everything you had and what was left after that too, oh...happiness hit her like a bullet in the back. struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that. the dog days are over, the dog days are done. can you hear the horses? because here they come. run fast for your mother, run fast for your father. run for your children, for your sisters and brothers. leave all your love and your longing behind, you can't carry it with you if you want to survive. the dog days are over, the dog days are done. can you hear the horses? because here they come. the dog days are over, the dog days are done. the horses are coming, so you better run" ― florence + the machine, dog days are over
 
"this tree is so stunning in every aspect. it's true poetry in form and medley. reflecting so regally in the still morning waters, like a graceful ballet dancer doing a delicate piroet. yet it's stubborn. it grows in the middle of the water, when it would have been so much easier to be like most of the other cypress along the riverbank instead...its reasoning? it's resolved to always be living on its own terms" ― bodhi, resolve
----------------------
 
"listen 
to the leaf;
it lets go 
falls slowly down. 
listen 
it lands softly in 
the stillness of 
the river below. 
listen
it says, "i let go" 
listen 
it silently floats away 
to its next chapter. 
listen 
to the lesson 
of the leaf" 
 
MEANING
"resolve" is defined by merriam-webster as:
1. (noun) firm determination to do something.
2. (verb) settle or find a solution to a problem, dispute, or contentious matter; decide firmly on a course of action
 
but remember that the word "resolve" has many different emotional feelings depending on the person...how i feel about the word is much different than my own father's feelings (he's a veteran of two vietnam tours), or a teenager in a car collision caused by a drunk driver where he saw two of his best friends die, or a woman whose young son has passed away, or a child left abandoned at a rest stop in 1988, or a daughter who is sexually assaulted by her own father, or a man who just buried his wife of 50 years, or a small business owner trying to make due after covid19, or a person who has battled their cancer into remission, or a jewish boy living in germany in 1944...
 
we all have resolve to do something in our life, and each of us carries different degrees and levels of that resolve. it's something we must make it through, something we will never forget, big or small...somethings are more traumatic and hard to overcome each day, others are less severe but not any less important in meaning to the "resolve"...and each of us who gets to take our next breath must be grateful and thankful for that opportunity to have "resolve", for breathing, and for having another day to enjoy living, to make every single moment count, no matter what, because there are no ordinary moments. we all need to live fully, and not just survive...
 
now, as for this tree in my picture today, i consider it to have a regal resolve (and a big reason for the title of this impression)...
 
i've returned to this spot many times now, during each of the seasons. it's a favourite location for me in southeastern oklahoma...
 
it's unknown, remote, uncrowded, and off the beaten path of life. it's a place very close to my heart since it's very near to where my grandma was born in 1916. and like my grandma was, this cypress tree is such an eloquent beauty, and all so stubborn to never give in to all the diversity thrown its way...
 
this tree is so stunning in every aspect. it's true poetry in form and medley. reflecting so regally in the still morning waters, like a graceful ballet dancer doing a delicate piroet. yet it's stubborn. it grows in the middle of the water, when it would have been so much easier to be like most of the other cypress along the riverbank instead...its reasoning? it's resolved to always be living on its own terms...
 
it's so gorgeous in the autumn with all its leaves so vibrant, on fire, and glowing. 
 
but soon this elegant tree loses all its beautiful colors. it will let them go. having lost their usefulness, all its leaves will fall off, dropping one by one, and float away down the river. the tree becomes stripped bare, exposing its core. and there it will stand for a time, naked and alone, outlasting the winter, waiting for the spring to give it new life, new leaves, a new start...a new resolve...
 
we can learn so many lessons from this tree...live and be alive like the tree. breathe it all in as you listen to autumn speak to you, letting go of everything, letting your leaves fall down, floating in the flowing waters reflecting your life, and moments lived...letting the waters wash away all the superficial extras, cleansing you, ushering in a new beginning. but resolving to never forget all of the experiences you have weathered through...
 
because like the cypress tree, we must live with all the inevitable changes that happen to each of us as the river flows...with that which is thrown at us, we persevere, we live on, we abide with our resolve...
 
today i so strongly feel the example set for me by this tree. i understand. i can only hope to carry the same resolve for not just surviving, but for living life fully...
 
you see...i'm mostly alone these days, spending most of my moments in one of two places: either in front of a classroom, or behind my camera. and i'm mostly focused on those things. i'm happy and at peace...mostly...
 
i can see the time pass by me so fast and swiftly. nothing can stop it. it's inevitable, time passes. things change, and then they change even more...
 
i've recently lived through some quite beautiful times, but for various reasons needed to just let them go and let them be. i've also survived through rough times. trying times, moments full of uncertainty and unclarity. times testing me, judging my spirit, questioning my reserve. difficult times full of too many ugly experiences wasted in deception with self-centered people, lost souls with egos too big to exist in my world, selfish users not worthy of my love...but i had my resolve to wait to find the true one, and i survived all the fakes, i endured and make it past those times....
 
"in the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you" ― gautama siddhartha buddha
 
now i need to embrace my loneliness, perceive spending my time alone as a positive, not as a negative. i need to be patient and not push things. resolve to let it be. let everything flow freely. draw on my hope and dreams of her for strength. rely on my doggie besos, my best friend for love and companionship. let the seasons pass and weather the lonely storms. do not let myself turn cold and frigid, try to remain warm and make it through this long winter amidst where i find myself currently. and even though i'm all alone. stop pandering to the question, "why me?" and let new beginnings happen naturally...
 
"resolve to just let it go. drop what is no longer of use. let it fall away from you, and let it all float away. let it be. stand there stripped bare of it all. now await your new beginning" ― bodhinku, resolve
 
i resolve to survive through these periods when i question my existence and think too much, listening to all the noise that comes and goes, instead of hearing the music that's always there surrounding me. i'll listen to the example of this beautiful tree. i'll cut out all the noise and try harder to listen to all the beautiful songs in my heart...
 
because she is the music of my soul. through my resolve of the belief in her existence, i know my faith in her is true. she is real and i will find her and she will find me, i carry such resolve for her to come into my life...i endure through all these lonely nights and mornings, going to bed without her, waking up missing her. i persevere eating alone, watching movies by myself. i survive through tough lessons of fake people and all the hurt and pain. i withstand each tear of frustration walking down my path with only my shadow and my doggie beside me. i abide the loneliness. i'm resolved to be alone until she finds me again...
  
"love is the resolving factor. it's the reason we continue to live, struggle, and improve" ― bodhinku, resolve
 
she's the light in my darkness, the colour in my black and white. she's the straw in my berry, the song in my heart. she's my dream girl, all i need in my life. i have the resolve to wait for her for however long, just to be with her. i'm resolved for her...one day she will simply say to me, "my favorite color is you, my favorite music is your heartbeat" and that'll be all i need to know, as she smiles and gives me the hug that lasts the rest of my life...
 
when she finally finds me and i look into her eyes, i'll know i've always known her. she has the words of my life under her tongue. she is out there with the resolve to discover me, as i'm here with the resolve to wait until she finds me. and at that moment, it'll all be worth wading through all these dark and lonely times i'm now living...
 
so i look once again at this beautiful tree, so resolved to thrive in an impossible place. resolved to not just get by, but to flourish in life full of such color and vitality...reflecting in these waters of life, how can i not feel alive? just being able to breathe in all of nature's beauty, and then exhale pure love. echoing all i need to know: life is good, so good...  
 
"like this tree, i resolve to live, not just survive. i resolve to let things go. i resolve to fight loneliness with inner happiness. i resolve to wait for her however long it takes, no matter what. i resolve to be at peace with who i am, the true me at any cost. i resolve to abide" ― bodhinku, resolve
 
here's a great song from 2005 a listen, it's full of deep meaning, plus it has the same title as my impression today: "resolve" by the foo fighters ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the musical selection)....

"something that i felt today, something that i had swingin' from the chandeliers, hanging on your word. i remember watching you once upon a time, dancing from across the room in another life...a little bit of resolve is what i need now. pin me down, show me how. a little bit of resolve is what i need now. pin me down, show me how...lookin' back to find my way, never seemed so hard. yesterday's belated rest, changing of the gods. i would never change a thing even if i could. all the songs we used to sing, everything was good...a little bit of resolve is what i need now. pin me down, show me how. a little bit of resolve is what i need now. pin me down, show me how...one more year that you're not here. it's gone and passed you by. happened to you, happened to you. one more tear that you won't hear that's gone and passed you by. happened to you, happened to you...a little bit of resolve is what i need now. pin me down, show me how. a little bit of resolve is what i need now. pin me down, show me how...a little bit of resolve, one more year that you're not here. it's gone and passed you by (a little bit of resolve) a little bit of resolve. one more year that you're not here, it's gone and passed you by (a little bit of resolve)" ― foo fighters, resolve  
 
"just as a leaf knows it's time, it embraces change as it fearlessly lets go of the safety of the tree, falling and dancing to where it needs to be...such a beautiful metaphor for all of us...just let go, dance, and fall in love with life's changes, have the resolve to live on..." ― bodhinku, resolve
----------------------
 
MORE BODHIKU QUOTES
and now here are a few more quotes from bodhinku from past blogs to help add to the deeper meaning of this blog today...
 
"the sun shines down upon us, the lucky ones...you're the radiant cypress standing in the water, so bright and vibrant, so vivid and ablaze with warming colors...i'm your reflection in the river, only just a bit darker, more hazy opaque, and slightly blurred, more cooled by the waters (but still burning for you)...we're complimentary mirrors to each other, such beautiful simplicity, two incomplete parts of the perfect whole. we're together one the same, one love in the glowing light" ― bodhinku, lucky mirrors
 
"falling into the mist
through colourful trees
on wings of love

becoming a part
of colours ablaze
in autumn's leaves

holding each colour
with floating kisses
on sighs of feathers" 
 
"she said simply, 'my favorite color is you'...and that's all it took for love to take me" ― bodhinku, colour of love 
 
"like hues bleeding through a watercolor, so are the days of my life" ― bodhinku, days of my life
 
"if i were the trees, i would have my leaves transform to yellow and red and orange, and let them light up the sky with their golden shades at sunset, and then they would circle about your head as they float down, falling in piles at your feet, so that you might know this colorful wonder of falling in love" ― bodhinku, watercolours 
 
"just as a autumn transforms a beautiful tree, fully ablaze in only its best colors, and blooming in full wisdom from all the seasons, so will the words well spoken bring out the best in the one who puts them into practice" ― bodhinku, ablaze in practice
 
"like leaves on trees in autumn, and like colors in a watercolour, nothing in my life has been permanent, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful" ― bodhinku, a watercolour 
    
"looking back over my memories, my life is like watercolours that have bled and faded. but sometimes i find my blurry reflections are so much more beautiful than a focused reality could ever have been" ― bodhinku, watercolours  
 
"we can learn so many lessons from the trees in the fall...live and be alive like the trees. breathe it all in as you listen to autumn speak to you, letting go of everything like the falling leaves, floating in the hues of all these colours reflecting your life, and moments lived...all of the colours you have lived" ― bodhinku, colours lived
 
"together
our colours sing,
ablaze with a
melody of passion hues
drenched with reds, and
yellows, and oranges,
mellowed by greens, and
cooling blues...
whispering silently upon
the morning breeze,
we're autumn's leaves
falling from trees,
landing in the river
floating quietly away, upon
still waters,
wrapped around
colourful sighs,
a simple, single, infinite
moment of living to
love"  
 
"our life is a colouring book...together we color our world onto the vibrant pages with our radiant hues, saturating and warming our lives with a beauty that's so filled with colourful luminosity, just like sparkling sunbeams shining through a thousand colourful leaves ablaze on autumn trees" ― bodhinku, colourful life  
----------------------
 
MORE QUOTES FOR EXTRA MEANING
and this next song is another song of strength and survival. the original is from way back in the disco era of 1978, but i much better prefer the alternative version from 1996. redone by the stylish band, cake, it's edgier with a bit more of a dismissive tone to it...the lyrics are all about having the strength and resolve for surviving that person in life who was awful for us (and if she is reading this now, and i bet that narcissist is, she will know exactly who i'm referring to), that person who used and abused us just to get what they wanted. not caring about us for who were are, only caring what they could get out of us by using their beauty, and charm and sex against us. full of bullshit, gaslighting, more manipulation, deception, and lies for as long as they could get away with it all...not sure anyone could every get over someone like this...but all you can do is try not to be bitter (which is hard!), just let it all go with a smile (even harder sometimes). then, maintain your resolve, breathe in, breathe out, and move on...
 
"it's so hard to have firm resolve, to walk away from someone who came into our life like a dream that's too good to be true, but turned out to be the nightmare we wished wasn't real" ― bodhinku, resolve
 
my god, i wait patiently. keeping faith for the day in my life, that one day when i can finally feel this way, and sing this following song to her. and i know she is out there somewhere. and i know she is seeking me out too...here's the original version of the tune which is vocalized so powerfully, yet softly by a truly beautiful singing voice "i will survive" by gloria gaynor ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the tune and watch the video) ... and then here is my favorite version of this song from 1996 by cake, done in their own unique alternative style quite radically different from gaynor's original tune, but so jazzy and really groovy: "i will survive" by cake (gloria gaynor cover) and if you would like to hear a modern, updated version of this song by a current pop star, give this rendition from 2016 a listen: "i will survive" by demi lovato (gloria gaynor cover) ... (just click on any of words in the powder blue links to listen to the musical selection) ...

"at first i was afraid, i was petrified. i kept thinking, i could never live without you by my side. but then i spent so many nights just thinking how you'd done me wrong. i grew strong, i learned how to get along. and so you're back from outer space. i just walked in to find you here without that look upon your face. i should have changed my fucking lock. i would have made you leave your key, if i had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me. oh now go. walk out the door. just turn around now, you're not welcome anymore. weren't you the one who tried to break me with desire? did you think i'd crumble? did you think i'd lay down and die? oh not i! i will survive. yeah, as long as i know how to love, i know i'll be alive. i've got all my life to live. i've got all my love to give. i will survive, i will survive...yeah, yeah...it took all the strength i had just not to fall apart. i'm trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart. and i've spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself. i used to cry, but now i hold my head up high. and you see me with somebody new. i'm not that stupid little boy still in love with you. and so you thought you'd just drop by and you expect me to be free, but now i'm saving all my loving for someone whose lovin' me...so now go. walk out the door. just turn around now, you're not welcome anymore. weren't you the one who tried to break me with desire? did you think i'd crumble? did you think i'd lay down and die? oh not i. i will survive. yeah as long as i know how to love, i know i'll be alive. i've got all my life to live. i've got all my love to give. i will survive, i will survive...yeah, yeah...as long as i know how to love, i know i'll be alive. i've got all my life to live. i've got all my love to give. i will survive. i will survive yeah, yeah, oh no" ― cake, i will survive (gloria gaynor cover)  
 
this song is the newest 2022 release from nathaniel ratliff, and the tune has been steadily climbing up the alternative charts...its message is about strength and doubt mixed with surviving through trouble in life...this song is named the same as my impression today, and with its wonderfully beautiful lyrics, it is the perfect accompaniment to connect music with the meaning of my impression and blog today: "survivor" by nathaniel rateliff and the nightsweats ... (just click on any of the words in the powder blue links to listen to the musical selection)....

"well, you just think that i'm some great survivor. and you just build upon the light to carry you. well, i don't even talk that way. see, i wanted you to stay and show you the world's a better place. and as we crawl to find our way, we even take the shape of something else...you think that i'm just some great survivor. you think that i'm just some great survivor...i'm afraid that the weight of the world is catching up with you. i'm afraid to admit that it's catching up to me too. well, you just think that i'm some great survivor. and you just feed upon fear you created. some people ought to see, some people ought to hear, hear. some people ought to see, some people ought to hear. well, if it's gonna be that way, then the crowd that calls your name can cast me out. you think that i'm just some great survivor. you think that i'm just some great survivor. i'm afraid that the weight of the world is catching up with you. i'm afraid to admit that it's catching up to me too. does the weight continue to grow until it buries you?...you think that i'm just some great survivor. you think that i'm just some great survivor. you think that i'm just some great survivor...you think that i'm just, some great survivor" ― nathaniel rateliff, survivor  
 
and here is another tune about being a survivor, this one is a new release by my current favorite hard rock group, pop evil...they have a throwback sound to the rock groups of the 1980s mixed with a more complete and full sound of the contemporary metal bands of the 2020s: "survivor" by pop evil ... (just click on any of words in the powder blue links to listen to the musical selection) ...
 
"if i wasn't good enough to finally succeed, then i couldn't love the reasons that i still bleed. it's getting harder to walk, i guess i'll just have to run. headed straight off a cliff, i'm not like everyone. i'm a survivor, come ride with me. been through hell and back, don't need your sympathy. everything i wanted is right in front of me, yeah. i'm a survivor, come ride with me. come ride with me, yeah. come ride with me...keep my head up, sinkin', lost in all of these waves. these odds keep me goin', the tide has finally changed. when it gets harder to breathe, i guess i'll just have to scream. get up back on my feet, i want the world to see me. i'm a survivor, come ride with me. been through hell and back, don't need your sympathy. everything i wanted is right in front of me, yeah. i'm a survivor, come ride with me. come ride with me, yeah. come ride with me...bring me back up or take me down low. make it go fast or move in slow-mo. 'bout that shine, all the hard times. free up the mind, i can open my eyes...i'm a survivor, come ride with me. been through hell and back, don't need your sympathy. everything i wanted is right in front of me, yeah. i'm a survivor, come ride with me. come ride with me, yeah. come ride with me" ― pop evil, survivor
 
"a man asked gautama buddha, 'i want happiness.' buddha said, "first remove 'i', because that's ego. then remove 'want', because that's desire. see now you are left with only "happiness" 
 
"release from anguish comes with the personal acknowledgment and resolve that: we are here together very briefly, so let us accept reality fully and take care of one another while we can" 
 
"each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead, and those over which we have traveled, and if the future road looms ominous or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and, carrying only the necessary baggage, step off that road into another direction. if the new choice is also unpalatable, without embarrassment, we must be ready to change that as well" ― maya angelou, wouldn't take nothing for my journey now
 
"do not let intimacy disappear. do not be afraid of deep intimacy. find it, go deep into the colors of each other's being without fear...for the other's pool of being will reflect you"
 
"i want only five things, five chosen roots...one is an endless love. two is to see the autumn ablaze in color. i cannot exist without colorful leaves flying and falling to the earth. the third is the solemn winter, the white snow i loved, the caress of fire warming in the rough cold. fourth, the summer, plump as a watermelon, green as moss. and fifthly, your colorful eyes, my dear love, i won’t sleep without your eyes, i won’t exist without your gaze, i adjust the spring for you to follow me with your eyes. that, is all i want. next to nothing, close to everything in the love within the color of your eyes" ― pablo neruda, i explain a few colorful things
 
"on a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero" 
 
"the oak fought the wind and was broken, the cypress bent with resolve, and thrived" 
 
"the thing about life is that you must have strong resolve. life is going to be difficult, and dreadful things will happen. what you do is move along, get on with it, and be tough. not in the sense of being mean to others, but being tough with yourself and making a deadly effort not to be defeated" ― katharine hepburn
 
"i was amazed that what i needed was resolve, and it could be carried on my back. and, most surprising of all, that i could carry it" 
 
"nobody will protect you from your suffering. you can't cry it away or eat it away or starve it away or walk it away or punch it away or even therapy it away. it's just there, and you have to have the resolve to make it. you have to endure it. you have to live through it and love it and move on and be better for it and run as far as you can in the direction of your best and happiest dreams across the bridge that was built by your own desire to heal" ― cheryl strayed, tiny beautiful things
 
"follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing. I have only begun to learn content and peace of mind since i have resolved at all risks to do this" 
 
"i survived because i remained soft, because i listened, because i wrote. because i huddled close to my truth, protected it like a tiny flame in a terrible storm...hold up your head when the tears come, when you are mocked, insulted, questioned, threatened, when they tell you you are nothing, when your body is reduced to openings. the journey will be longer than you imagined, trauma will find you again and again. do not become the ones who hurt you. stay tender with your power. never fight to injure, fight to uplift. fight because you know that in this life, you deserve safety, joy, and freedom. fight because it is your life. not anyone else’s. i did it, i am here. looking back, all the ones who doubted or hurt or nearly conquered me faded away, and i am the only one standing. so now, the time has come. i dust myself off, and go on with my resolve" ― chanel miller, know my name
 
"it is not a question of if you will survive this, but what beautiful things await you when you do...good and bad things come from the universe holding hands. hold on to your resolve and wait for the good to come" ― chanel miller, know my name
 
"i look at my scars and see something else: a girl who was trying to cope with something horrible that she should never have had to live through at all. my scars show pain and suffering, but they also show my will, my resolve to survive. they're part of my history that'll always be there" 
 
"we must see all scars as beauty...because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. a scar means: i survived" ― chris cleave, the other hand
 
"don't cry so bitterly, but remember this day, and resolve with all your soul that you will never know another like it" ― louisa may alcott, little women
 
"there are times when the body needs to heal, but those are ripe opportunities to deepen the mental, technical, internal side of my game. you have to make obstacles spur you to creative new angles in the learning process. let setbacks deepen your resolve. you should always come off an injury, a mistake, or a loss better than when you went down" ― josh waitzkin, the art of learning
 
"there is something to be learned from a rainstorm. when meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. but doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. when you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you will still get the same soaking. this understanding extends to everything" 
 
"my scars remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. what hurt me in the past has actually made me better equipped with more resolve to face the present" ― steve goodier
 
"most of us can hide our greatest hurts and longings. it’s the resolve we use to get through each tough day. we pretend the pain isn’t there, that we are made of scars instead of wounds" ― leigh bardugo, king of scars
 
"even in times of trauma, we try to maintain a sense of normality until we no longer can. that, my friends, is called resolve, not healing. we never become whole again...we are survivors. if you are here today...you are a survivor. but those of us who have made it thru hell and are still standing? we bare a different name: warriors" ― lori goodwin
 
"for anyone who has ever lost a loved one, for anyone who has woken up crying and gone to bed the same way, for anyone who has had to learn that it’s okay to not be okay, listen: surviving isn’t strength, it’s continuing to breathe one day at a time; strength is the resolve to live despite the pain" ― jasinda wilder, falling into you
 
"we cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection...love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them–we can only love others as much as we resolve to love ourselves...shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, and then healed" 
 
"there’s so much more to life than finding someone who will want you, or being sad over someone who doesn’t. there’s a lot of wonderful time to be spent discovering yourself without hoping someone will fall in love with you along the way, and it doesn’t need to be painful or empty. you need to fill yourself up with love. not anyone else. become a whole being on your own. go on adventures, fall asleep in the woods with friends, wander around the city at night, sit in a coffee shop on your own, write on bathroom stalls, leave notes in library books, dress up for yourself, give to others, smile a lot. do all things with love, but don’t romanticize life like you can’t live without it. have the resolve to live for yourself and be happy on your own. it isn’t any less beautiful, i promise" ― emery allen
 
"life is filled with unanswered questions, but it is the courage and resolve to seek those answers that continues to give meaning to life. you can spend your life wallowing in despair, wondering why you were the one who was led towards the road strewn with pain, or you can be grateful that you are strong enough to survive it" ― j.d. stroube, caged by damnation
 
"there will always be more questions. every answer leads to more questions. the only way to live is to resolve to let some of them go" ― david levithan, every day
 
"and once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed the resolve to survive. you won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. but one thing is certain. when you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. that’s what this storm’s all about" ― haruki murakami, kafka on the shore
 
"i hope you find true meaning, contentment, and passion in your life. i hope you navigate the difficult times and come out with greater strength and resolve. i hope you find whatever balance you seek with your eyes wide open" ― sheryl sandberg, lean in
 
"this is how you lose that which you cannot bear to lose, this is how you reinvent yourself, overcome your abusers, fulfill your ambitions and meet the love of your life: by the resolve of  following what is true, no matter where it leads you" ― augusten burroughs, this is how
 
"lately i've been thinking about who i want to love, and how i want to love, and why i want to love the way i want to love, and what i need to learn to love that way, and how i need to become to become the kind of love i want to be. and when i break it all down, when i whittle it into a single breath, it essentially comes out like this: before i die, i want to be somebody’s favorite hiding place, the place they can put everything they know they need, every secret, every solitude, every nervous prayer, and be absolutely certain i will keep it safe" ― andrea gibson 
 
"it should be about love. when you know love...that's what makes this life worth it. when you live with it everyday. wake up with it, hold on to it during the thunder and after a nightmare. when love is your refuge from the death that surrounds us all and when it fills you so tight that you can't express it" ― carrie ryan
 
"you're not half the person you could be, because of what was done to you. but you're twice what anyone else is because of your resolve to live past it all" ― j.r. ward, lover mine
 
"she avoids deep thought, not out of stupidity, but a canny resolve to be happy" 
 
"resolve to develop your spiritual powers more earnestly from now on. learn the art of right living. if you have joy, you have everything, so learn to be glad and contented...have happiness now" 
 
"human beings, unlike the water and trees, have a choice. they are given dignity, discernment, and the evolutionary wisdom that can move from death to new life, again to die and be restored on another level of existence...so, you have many choices about the ways you live and work and change and carry resolve. say you fall into an ocean. you may give up and sink, or you may try to swim to shore. salvation is your decision" ― bahauddin, the drowned book
 
"if you learn to really sit with loneliness and embrace it for the gift that it is…an opportunity to get to know yourself, to learn how much resolve you really have, to depend on no one but you for your happiness…you will realize that a little loneliness goes a l-o-n-g way in creating a richer, deeper, more vibrant and stronger you" ― mandy hale, the single woman: life, love, and a dash of sass
 
"inside each of us, there’s continual autumn. our leaves fall and are blown out over the water. a crow sits in the blackened limbs and talks about what’s gone. then your generosity returns: spring, moisture, intelligence, the scent of hyacinth and rose and cypress" 
 
"when inward tenderness finds the secret hurt, pain itself will crack the rock and, ah! let the soul emerge with resolve" ― jalaluddin rumi, a year with rumi
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ABOUT THE IMPRESSION
"she's the light in my darkness, the colour in my black and white. she's the straw in my berry, the song in my heart. she's my dream girl, all i need in my life. i have the resolve to wait for her for however long, just to be with her. i'm resolved for her" ― bodhi, resolve
 
this impression is found on the backwaters of a slow moving river in southeastern oklahoma, close to the small quiet town where my grandma was born a little over one hundred years ago...
 
this image was captured 11 mins after sunrise on a calm windless morning, and before the sunshine directly hit the river valley, and this composition is comprised entirely of one long exposure (f/11 @111mm for 11 seconds, iso-64)...and this single frame was not merged with any other exposures like i often do with my photography to achieve the perfect lighting of the entire scene...  
 
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 this exposure, to get the effects and balance i was looking for, i used two progreyusa filters in the capture of this composition, a 3.0nd progrey antarctica filter to bring the light in the image down 10 stops to create more smoothness in the water and a mystical blurred reflection of the tree and colors in the water...plus naturally staurate all the red, green, and blue color hues (rgb's) in the image, combined with 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 brighter sunlight coming through the trees out of frame in the upper righthand portions of the image, stop down that brightness an extra three stops and help permit a richer balance of light throughout the rest of the exposure...
 
i also used the progrey g-120z magnetic holder to hold the filters and secure them to my favourite camera and lens combination, my nikon d850 with a nikon nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8... 
 
and with this being a quasi-long exposure of 11 seconds with a heavy 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens attached to my nikon d850, a stable and sturdy tripod is an absolute necessity in order to keep the image super sharp (in places i want that sharpness), and keep the camera from moving even slightly and blurring the tree and its leaves...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 the 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" ― bodhinku, if nothing else
 
"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" ― bodhinku, into my photography
 
"my photography is my way of keeping a diary" ― bodhinku, my diary  
 
"contemplate without thinking. be certain only in your uncertainty. stop the world. slow down everything. let it all be. shut off the noise. relax. seize this moment. reconnect. feel and sense what surrounds you. listen to all the 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!" ― bodhinku, my world    
 
i leave you today wishing that bright joy 
and spiritual peace fill your life...
imploring you to make every moment count, 
no matter what, always and forever, 
for that is the only thing that truly matters... 
  
and above all else,
i hope this message and impression find you well.
namaste,
bodhi
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please visit me at:

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

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