Eden Is Between Ithaka and Home

I've had just enough time to...   look for Eden somewhere between Ithaka and home

Taken of a Himalayan valley from the edge of a mountain

Eden is between Ithaka and home

But they are in different directions!

Can you take your heart to Ithaka

And not think of home?

Can you stay in the comfort of your home

And not yearn for Ithaka?

I packed my bags and sleep under the stars

Heading for Ithaka

When the journey gets too arduous

And my steps too weary

And home came in my sleep

I know it is time to return

Eden is not a place in some mystical land

Eden is between home and Ithaka

_______

Ithaca 

When you set out for Ithaka

ask that your way be long,

full of adventure, full of instruction.

The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,

angry Poseidon - do not fear them:

such as these you will never find

as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare

emotion touch your spirit and your body.

The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,

angry Poseidon - you will not meet them

unless you carry them in your soul,

unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long.

At many a Summer dawn to enter

with what gratitude, what joy -

ports seen for the first time;

to stop at Phoenician trading centres,

and to buy good merchandise,

mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

and sensuous perfumes of every kind,

sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;

to visit many Egyptian cities,

to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.

Have Ithaka always in your mind.

Your arrival there is what you are destined for.

But don't in the least hurry the journey.

Better it last for years,

so that when you reach the island you are old,

rich with all you have gained on the way,

not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.

Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.

Without her you would not have set out.

She hasn't anything else to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.

So wise you have become, of such experience,

that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean. 

Constantine P. Cavafy

Wishing You A Little Bit Of Everything

I've had just enough time to...   wish everyone a little bit of everything

The sun finally breached the the distant Himalayan hills and clouds

Wishing you a little of everything

A little bit more joy, a little bit less sorrow

A little bit more peace, a little bit less strife

A little bit more progress, a little bit less obstacle

A little bit more fulfillment, a little bit less work

A little bit more variety, a little bit less of the same

A little bit healthier, in mind, body and spirit

A little bit wealthier, in what really counts

A little bit stronger, to weather the storm

A little bit happier, with enough to share

For a little bit is all you need but I wish you

Lots and lots of love in the coming year!

_______

Himalayan Dawn, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Santoor

A New Himalayan Dawn

I've had just enough time to...   welcome a Himalayan dawn

Taken on the first morning welcoming in the Himalayan dawn...

The valley sleeps

Under the watchful eyes of the snowy peaks

Under the cottony blankets of soft mists

Silence as peaceful as sleep

Harmony as beautiful as peace

I was up early to see the valley sleeps

Dwarfed by the majestic mountains

As ancient as the slowly departing stars

A speck in the universe of time

A slight stirring of the morning breeze

Shudders the slumbering Earth

Interrupting its peaceful sleep

With the patience and respect it commands

I was up early to welcome the soft glow

Of the approaching Himalayan dawn

In The Morning When The Moon Is At Its Rest

I've had just enough time to...   walk the mist in the morning

 Taken one early morning when the world is still shrouded in mist in Hanoi

In the morning

When the bird is still in its nest

And the world still at rest

Peaceful under a blanket of mist

Soothed by a mother’s kiss

I walk a path half imagined

Taking it all on the chin

The sun is not yet up

To serve reality in a cup

To sear through the mist

And smack me with its fiery fist

The sun did me no service

There can be no promise

With gaze as sharp as steel

Leaving no room to steal

An idea from the God

That he left for the poor sod

Who survive the bloody scrum

To retrieve from the squalid slum

I need the blurry landscape

I need the world of indistinct shapes

I need to silence the lambs

The silence to silence the violence

And this is best done in the early morning mist

In the morning when the moon is at it's rest, 

You will find me at the time I love the best

Watching rainbows play on sunlight; 

Pools of water iced from cold night, In the morning.

Tis the morning of my life.

Bee Gees - In The Morning

When The World Is A Lonely Place.

I've had just enough time to...   test my courage.

Taken on the top of Maxwell hill, Perak, Malaysia.

When your world is shrouded in mist

And you could not see further than the nearest tree

When it come closing in

And you could not reach for a helping hand

When you are utterly alone

And the world seems such a dreadful place

You will learn what courage is.