"Shimmer" by Bodhi Smith

Nov 10, 2023

 
flowing
glowing
shimmer
glimmer
seeing
being
 
MY THOUGHTS
I'm the three Palm trees (my, myself and I), seeing myself mirrored in a lagoon on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I'm a solitary recluse on the beach watching the stars and myself shimmer and reflect in the water. I'm all alone, just me, and this moment's reflection...yet I'm not alone at all, as something so beautiful shimmers out of the loneliness within the darkness and takes my breath away ― Bodhi, A Shimmering Reflection
 
"Shimmer" is defined by Merriam-Webster as:
1. shine with a soft wavering light; glimmer; sparkle
2. a wavering sometimes distorted visual image usually resulting from heat-induced changes in atmospheric refraction
 
Three palm trees along with the Milky Way and stars "Shimmer" as they radiate in the night sky and reflect in a lagoon on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Oahu. And of course, there's a perfect Hawaiian word for this: "hulali" which translates as "shimmering reflection"...When light dances in two different dimensions, it's simply a thing of beauty that's unparalleled in this world. This amazing sparkling of the cosmos above always grabs my attention, and whenever I catch a glimmer of their reflection along with trees glowing in water, I'm mesmerized and left in a state of zen...
 
The light dances and shimmers on the water, reflecting into me, making me feel so damn lucky to be alive ― Bodhi, Shimmer
 
And I also reflect, only not with light on another surface, rather instead internally upon my deeper thoughts and feelings...It's only right, that my self reflection so often comes when I watch the stars "Shimmer" and reflect off the water. I think about my day, my night, the past year...about my doggie, my travels, my family, and her...and my future with what I hope to accomplish and happen to me in the few years of life I have left to live on this wonderful planet of ours...I don't always find answers, but I gain a more enlightened perspective than I had previously when the sun was shining and before the stars appeared in the night sky...
 
All that glitters isn't gold, because what shimmers before me is surely much more precious to me than all the gold in the world  ― Bodhi, Shimmer
 
This enlightening scene shows beyond doubt that all that glitters is not gold. It's a given that gold glitters no matter what, but the glowing stars make the darkness "Shimmer" in a way like no other. I see the stars and the Milky Way like this all the time, and I never get tired of them. They are ordinary in my life, but priceless in every way to me for how they make me feel inside...
 
The Milky Way and stars shimmer not on us, but in us ― Bodhi, Shimmer

Just as ordinary things and moments might brighten your day..the giggling smile of your daughter playing in the pool, or the look of your doggie when he lays his head in your lap and looks up at you with those eyes, or holding hands with your girlfriend and not having to say any words, or enjoying a beautiful sunrise to start your day, or the smell of fresh orange blossoms on the breeze, or the taste of fresh baked bread, or dancing to your favorite song, or relaxing in a hot bubble bath...
It's really these everyday things in our lives that are much more valuable than any precious metal or amount of money...it's the ordinary moments that we should never take for granted, because it's in those moments where our life is lived. So don't just live in the moment, live in all the moments...
 
There are no ordinary moments ― Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior 
 
And reflecting back on this shimmering moment in time that's ordinary in my world, I'm really happy to be able to share this picture with so many who would never get to witness such a scene. And in doing so, you can reflect that I actually existed at this time. That I was here at this place, and that I was truly alive in this moment's beautiful reflection...
I know this life of mine is good, so very good, And I don't ever want it to end, though regrettably it must...so in the meantime, like the moment in this impression, and this moment here and now, I'm just gonna make every moment count no matter what...
 
Don't just live in the moment, live in all the moments ― Bodhi, Shimmer
 
 
This song from over 25 years ago in 1998 is the perfect piece of music to accompany my impression today... not only does it have the exact same name as my image, but it's also one of the best grunge-rock songs ever created imho ... "Shimmer" by Fuel. ... (just click on the blue links to listen to any of the songs)

She calls me from the cold
Just when I was low
Feeling short of stable
All that she intends
And all she keeps inside
Isn't on the label
She says she's ashamed
Can she take me for a while?
Can I be a friend?
We'll forget the past
Or maybe I'm not able
And I break at the bend
We're here and now
Will we ever be again?
'Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again
She dreams a champagne dream
Strawberry surprise
Pink linen on white paper
Lavender and cream
Fields of butterflies
Reality escapes her
She says that love
Is for fools that fall behind
And I'm somewhere between
I never really know
A killer from a savior
'Til I break at the bend
We're here and now
Will we ever be again?
'Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again
It's too far away for me to hold
Too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
Too far away
Ah-ow
Yeah, it's too far away for me to hold
Too far away, ah-ow
It's too far away for me to hold
Too far away
It's too far away for me to hold
Too far away, ah-ow
It's too far away for me to hold
Too far away
Guess I'll let it go
 
 
Also from the 1990s, this tune is nearly thirty years old, released in 1995 on the Sparkle and Fade Album by the Portland, Oregon band, Everclear. They remain to this day one of my alltime favorite alternative rock bands, and I was lucky to see them live again at a very small venue in Temecula Wine country a couple weeks ago at Southcoast Winery--and they blew me and the rest of the audience away as they still sound just as good as they ever did. and with the line "Forget about all the memories that keep you down. Forget about them all. We could lose them in the fall glimmer sparkle and fade"...this song is another wonderful piece of music to accompany my impression today ... "Summerland" by Everclear. ... (just click on the blue links to listen to any of the songs)

Let's just drive your car, we could drive all day
Let's just get the hell away from here
For I am sick again, just plain sick to death
Of the sound of my own voice
We could leave behind another wasted year
Just get some cheap red wine, and just go flying
We could do the things, all the things you wanted to
No one cares about us anyway...
I think I lost my smile, I think you lost yours too
We have lost the power to make each other laugh
Let's just leave this place, and go to Summerland
Just a name on the map, sounds like heaven to me
We could find a town, be just how we want to be
No one here really cares about us anyway
We could find a place, make it what we want it to be
No one really gives a fuck about us anyway
We could live, live just like we want to live
No one here really cares about us anyway
We could be everything we want to be
We could get lost in the Fall Glimmer Sparkle and Fade
The Sparkle and Fade. Fall Glimmer Sparkle and Fade
Forget about our jobs at the record store
Forget about all the losers that we know
Forget about all the memories that keep you down
Forget about them all, we could lose them in the Sparkle and Fade
We could leave them behind in the Sparkle and Fade
Yeah Sparkle and Fade. Fall Glimmer Sparkle and Fade
 
 
 
SOME MORE MEANINGFUL BODHI QUOTES
I'm always at peace when I find myself under the stars, outside under the glowing milky way in the dark silence of pure nature...Totally exposed to the infinity of the universe, I feel so wonderfully insignificant, and all my issues trivial. It's one of the few times my restless heart relaxes and my mind unfocuses and just lets things be, letting the beautiful calm of peace envelope me ― Bodhi, Finding Maluhia
 
In the darkness of the night, I find my path to peace as the stars flower my world with angelic beauty...It's in the light of day that I'm tormented and lost, as the sunshine bedevils me, and bleaches out all of my dreams with its blinding reality ― Bodhi, Maluhia
 
Finding peace should be easy...so wtf is so difficult and so complicated? It's right there if you want it. It's always inside you, but too many unproductive things get in your way. Doubt. Regret. Guilt. Fear. Longing. Desire. Resentment. Pride...You must tune out the noise. Look past the distractions. Ignore the negativity, especially  negative thoughts. You must get outta your own way. and just Believe. Hope. Love. Forgive. Relax. Breathe. Be content. And let it be, and then you'll find peace ― Bodhi, Maluhia
 
there you'll be
both you and me
the roots of a tree
the waves of the sea
the hole of a key
the kiss of sensuality
the words of hyperbole
the stars of eternity
birds flying carefree
through peaceful certainty
in steam of herbal tea
in aromas of potpourri
in rain falling so lightly
in temperatures by degree
in a solemn guarantee
in dreams of reality
both you and me
there you'll be 
 
all you are, is all i need
to know each of these butterflies
by name in our hunger is to feed
reflecting mirrors of each other's eyes  
where every moment paints true
there are no ifs ands or why's
when we're mixing brown and blue
into infinity filling with happy sighs
temperatures rising in erotica desires  
hot passion building between our thighs  
burning, exploding, drenching these fires  
soaked moans and sweet pleasure cries
echo through space and time on the breeze
one more moment, oh promise, promise me please
 
Each and every moment is temporary. Cherish the moments that take your breath away, live them to the fullest, for they will not last. And do not shutter away the difficult moments, reflect and learn from them, get through them. They are not forever, they too will pass...Good or bad, every moment is precious, because they let us know we are living...Always be sure to make each moment count" ― Bodhi, Each Moment 
   
Reflection in the mirror, embracing reality yet fantasy. Reflecting wholeness of a reunion with oneself. alone together. still, time stands still. calmness, tranquility, no noises, a freedom from craziness of today's world...He and his reflection both knew, they're holding a precious vision entwined in each other. Smiling with their eyes reflecting back the infinity of the moment. A once in a lifetime kind of moment, written forever in the heart. The reflection of each other, their cherished gift, inseparable. They know, they are alive in that reflection...they are love ― Bodhi, Reflection of a Moment
 
Standing here on this night, under this glowing Milky Way, I feel so utterly lost in peaceful silence...and at the same time, I'm found, knowing my meaning is written somewhere in all those billions of stars above me ― Bodhi, Maluhia
 
This life is all we have, all we get. Waste none of it with trivial and useless thoughts that get in the way of your glowing light. Do not let visions of anyone or any circumstance hold you back from your inner peace. Be in love with your next breath. exhale, and be alive in that certainty ― Bodhi, Maluhia 
 
 
 
SOME MORE APROPOS QUOTES
Peace comes from within, do not seek it without. You will never be at peace if you search for peace ― Gautama Siddhartha Buddha
 
Be universal love--radiating towards no single object or person in particular. Be just like the sun, and shimmer on everything in your path ― Gautama Siddhartha Buddha
 
All that glitters is not gold, often you have heard that told (do not be fooled by people or things that look good) ― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice
 
I call it God Light, because it reminds me of heaven. Every time the light shimmers through the window, you'll know I'm right there with you, okay? That's going to be me. I'll be the light glimmering in the window ― Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song
 
I crack open my cookie and slip the fortune out of it. "If you only shine light on your flaws, all your perfects will dim"... ― Colleen Hoover, All Your Perfects
 
I've noticed that if you look carefully at people's eyes the first five seconds they look at you, the truth of their feelings will shimmer through for just an instant, before it flickers away ― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees
 
Happiness is a glory shimmering far down upon us out of Heaven ― Charlotte Bronte, Villette
 
You have to be unique, and different, and shimmer in your own way ― Lady Gaga
 
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shimmer at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
 
In darkness, God's truth shimmers most clear ― Corrie Ten Bloom, The Hiding Place
 
That's death and life, you see. We all shine on. You just have to release your hearts, alert your senses, and pay attention. A leaf, a star, a song, a laugh. Notice all the little things, because somebody is reaching out to you...Somebody loves you ― Ben Sherwood, Charlie St. Cloud
 
Have you ever seen the stars in the night? See them closely, they will tell you, how to be open, how to love and how to shimmer and twinkle without any differences and jealousy of other stars ― Santosh Kalwar, Quote Me Everyday
 
Truly happy memories always live on, shimmering. Over time, one by one, they come back to life ― Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen
 
Don't let your difficulties fill you with anxiety. After all, it's only in the darkest nights that stars shimmer more brightly  ― Ali Ibn Abi Talib
 
Shimmer like the whole universe is yours  ― Jalaluddin Rumi, Words of Paradise
 
Be grateful for your life, every detail of it, and your face will come to shimmer like a sun, and everyone who sees it will be made glad and peaceful. Persist in gratitude, and you will slowly become one with the Sun of Love, and Love will shimmer through you its all-healing joy  ― Jalaluddin Rumi, Fountain of Fire
 
How can I know anything about the past or the future, when the light of the Beloved shimmers only now? ― Jalaluddin Rumi, In the Arms of the Beloved
 
Shadows can indicate what’s shining bright   But it’s the sun which fills your soul with light ― Jalaluddin Rumi, Hush Don't Say Anything To God 
 
 
 
SPECIFICS ABOUT THIS PHOTO
It's a given that gold glitters no matter what, but the glowing stars make the darkness shimmer in a way like no other ― Bodhi, Shimmer
 
Pictured here are three beautiful palm trees with the beautiful stars over the Hawaiian Island of Oahu reflecting in a shallow lagoon on the south shore...this two-frame image was captured on April 20, 2023 at 4:20am and 6:06am HST...
 
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...
 
And to get the effects and balance I was looking for in this composition, I used two ProgreyUSA Filters. along with the ProgreyUSA G-120Z Antarctic Magnetic Holder. to secure these filters to my Nikon D850 with a Nikon Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. ... 
 
Camera Settings for Milky Way/Stars and their Reflection in the Lagoon: 
ISO-1600, 24mm at f/1.4 for 13 seconds at 4:20am HST on 04-20-23 using a different lens than the one of the palm trees below (Nikon Nikkor 24mm prime f/1.4 lens). No filters were needed in the exposure of the stars, so none were used...
 
Camera Settings for Three Palm Trees & Reflection in Lagoon: 
ISO-64, 111mm at f/11 for 111 seconds at 6:06am HST a few minutes before sunrise on 04-20-23 using a ProgreyUSA 0.9 REVERSE GND Aurora Filter. to bring down the sky 3 stops and help darken the bright pre-sunrise glowing light at the horizon level, creating a better in-camera balance in the overall image with the shadows in palm fronds and the sand on the beach in the foreground, along with a ProgreyUSA 3.0ND Antarctic Magnetic Filter. to stop down the image 10 stops and permit for the longer 111 second exposure which helps to bring out the glowing reflection of the palm trees in the lagoon better by smoothing out the water...
 
This two framed exposure was then carefully merged together with the help of layers in the most recent updated version of Adobe Photoshop CC...
 
I wish to openly thank my sponsors who have always supported me through both the good and bad times...for truly this long exposure impression would not be possible without the use of my Induro PHQ3 Series 5-way Panhead with an Induro (now Benro) Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod. in combination with the ProgreyUSA Filters. which I use with every photo I take...
 
if nothing else...if i open my eyes, if i hope, if i cry, if i think, if i sigh, if i giggle, if i dance, if i love, if i breathe, then i have lived a full days worth of life...nothing is wasted, nothing" ― bodhi, if 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" ― bodhi, into my photography
 
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
 
you were blessed with 84,600 seconds today, have you used one of them to say thank you? ― bodhi, blessed
 
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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