Serene

安らかな

Martin took this photo in Niseko.  It looks so serene, this chapel nestled in the snow.  But with a moment of consideration, you see that it is not so tranquil, really.  Though the air remained crisply cold on your face, as the sun touched the rooftops, the glacier shaped snow slowly slid down, abruptly making muffled thumps throughout the day.  No bright colors here, seemingly no action, but there is so much beyond the obvious.  Like life. 

Just as New Years is the time for rethinking ones values and redirecting ones actions towards achieving the goals which are consistent with those values, Mid January is the time when we are often surprised to find ourselves already back in prior patterns.  It is a good time to reinforce those recent resolutions so soon neglected. 

Though I'm not a student of philosophy,  as the years pass, I think more and more about life and what it all means.  When the children were babies, it seemed like every day was so long and solid, but then time speeded up and the moments passed in a blur.  Just as the newborn infant's face changes every day and he becomes himself, every day of our lives bring opportunities for growth and renewal.

So, there is the dilemma.  We know  what we want to achieve.  How do we maintain the balance between living each day to its fullest and achieving our goals, while keeping the serenity in our heart that truly brings tranquility.

Comments

[Stacey-Ann]

I try only to live in the Now, not let me thoughts define who I am and therefore worry less about the future.

A lot of these concepts I learned from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

I'm no expert on the concepts but I try to practise them often.