Attain Peace of Mind with Nature
in Ten Ways
Dr Abe V Rotor
Part 1 - A Walk with Nature - Leisure and TherapyPart 2 - Excellence is next to PerfectionPart 3 - Discover Nature and Discover YourselfPart 4 - In Pursuit of Happiness - A Self-AssessmentPart 5 - In Praise of NaturePart 6 - Capture the Happy MomentsPart 7 - Kids' World of Nature - Where childhood is foreverPart 8 - MOTHER is the sweetest word in any language.Part 9 - Home, Sweet Home in 50 WaysPart 10 - Key to Peace of Mind
Part 1 - A Walk with Nature - Leisure and Therapy
When was the last time you took a nature's trail? Camping in the wood? Walking down the beach? Nature invites you to relax, to find peace of mind - and to be healed.
Walking among pine tree saplings. Tagaytay 2008
Walking is leisure and therapy when you combine and harmonize your body, mind and spirit with nature. It is an exercise that restores gait and adds strength, and it brings inner peace. The mind becomes sharper; sensitivity is honed. And just like what the Greeks believed to be the fountain of youth, it could be the missing key to “a healthy mind in a healthy body.”
They say that to keep yourself healthy and active you must exercise regularly. It is one way to keep yourself fit with their environment. But more than physical fitness, the psyche must be given equal treatment. They must be exercised altogether. And the catalyst is Nature.
This is particularly true to one approaching middle age or old age. It is important to slow down, harmonizing the body and mind. Slow down in the same way jogging comes to the pace of easy walking. Make exercise not as a task but leisure.
To achieve this, first you must condition yourself to
• have peace of mind,
• be positive,
• be keen with nature’s presence and rhythm, and
• remember, it’s your day.
While the body responds to the physical world such as the condition of the road, and presence of people and objects, the mind is keen with the beauty of the surroundings and creates images that only the person concerned personally experiences. Here environment and imagery become one.
Listen to the Songs of Birds
One morning on the grounds of the University of Santo Tomas I heard a Philippine black-headed shrike or tarat or panal (Lanius schach nasutus). Its crispy calls signal the arrival of the Siberian High. It tells of harvest time and kite flying. The chilly air is exhilarating to breathe. Listening to its rhythmic calls, I soon found out that its kin had arrived at the same tree, and soon I became an audience of their concert. I stopped walking to hear and watch them until they moved to another tree.
At one time I saw another bird – pandangera (Rhipidura javanica nigrotorquis), named after its tail that constantly moved and opened like a fan. I searched for it in a nearby fire tree about to shed its leaves, and while it sang and danced, sent showers of yellowing leaves to the ground. Happier and more musical than that of the tarat, it also came with the annual migration of birds as the Northern Hemisphere approached winter.
What an unusual experience to find these rare creatures in the heart of a crowded metropolis – indeed a sanctuary in a concrete jungle. To me there is nothing sweeter than recollecting of farm life, giving zest to urban living.
Take time to appreciate the creatures of the air - the epitome of freedom. Watch them soar and ride on the wind. Play hide-and-seek with them among the trees. Listen intently to their songs. Pick up a tune, imitate and put them into notes. Observe their kinship. Search their nests. Birds are among the most beautiful creatures, especially the males. Study their plumage. Marvel at how nature engineered them for flight and arboreal life. Reflect on this, “If I have wings, will I find freedom and peace?”
Understand the Ways of Nature
While strolling along the water edge of the man-made lake at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, I stopped to rest beside a mudflat where water had earlier receded. Seeds had begun germinating while minute snails combed its the slimy surface, leaving trails glistening in early sunshine. Holes suggested there were creatures living underneath it. And yet the mudflat looked like a wasteland – a paradox, because there was much water around.
Not far away was another mudflat, much older than the first because plants have colonized it and were vigorously competing for sun and space. I saw grasshoppers trapped in spider web, a house lizard stalking for its prey, beneath it was a toad, eyes half open. It was a mini forest of sort.
Taking the same route in the weeks that followed, the bare mudflat turned into greenery, while the older mudflat become part of the lakeshore which was to become part of its bank. I pondered on the gradual transformation of the mudflats every time I took the same route.
The ways of nature are mysterious. Learn to adapt to its laws and order continuously and without end. While you will never fully understand them, you will find them useful to living in many ways, enriching it with so many blessings.
Some years ago I wrote a verse and I quote:
They say that to keep yourself healthy and active you must exercise regularly. It is one way to keep yourself fit with their environment. But more than physical fitness, the psyche must be given equal treatment. They must be exercised altogether. And the catalyst is Nature.
This is particularly true to one approaching middle age or old age. It is important to slow down, harmonizing the body and mind. Slow down in the same way jogging comes to the pace of easy walking. Make exercise not as a task but leisure.
To achieve this, first you must condition yourself to
• have peace of mind,
• be positive,
• be keen with nature’s presence and rhythm, and
• remember, it’s your day.
While the body responds to the physical world such as the condition of the road, and presence of people and objects, the mind is keen with the beauty of the surroundings and creates images that only the person concerned personally experiences. Here environment and imagery become one.
Listen to the Songs of Birds
One morning on the grounds of the University of Santo Tomas I heard a Philippine black-headed shrike or tarat or panal (Lanius schach nasutus). Its crispy calls signal the arrival of the Siberian High. It tells of harvest time and kite flying. The chilly air is exhilarating to breathe. Listening to its rhythmic calls, I soon found out that its kin had arrived at the same tree, and soon I became an audience of their concert. I stopped walking to hear and watch them until they moved to another tree.
At one time I saw another bird – pandangera (Rhipidura javanica nigrotorquis), named after its tail that constantly moved and opened like a fan. I searched for it in a nearby fire tree about to shed its leaves, and while it sang and danced, sent showers of yellowing leaves to the ground. Happier and more musical than that of the tarat, it also came with the annual migration of birds as the Northern Hemisphere approached winter.
What an unusual experience to find these rare creatures in the heart of a crowded metropolis – indeed a sanctuary in a concrete jungle. To me there is nothing sweeter than recollecting of farm life, giving zest to urban living.
Take time to appreciate the creatures of the air - the epitome of freedom. Watch them soar and ride on the wind. Play hide-and-seek with them among the trees. Listen intently to their songs. Pick up a tune, imitate and put them into notes. Observe their kinship. Search their nests. Birds are among the most beautiful creatures, especially the males. Study their plumage. Marvel at how nature engineered them for flight and arboreal life. Reflect on this, “If I have wings, will I find freedom and peace?”
Understand the Ways of Nature
While strolling along the water edge of the man-made lake at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, I stopped to rest beside a mudflat where water had earlier receded. Seeds had begun germinating while minute snails combed its the slimy surface, leaving trails glistening in early sunshine. Holes suggested there were creatures living underneath it. And yet the mudflat looked like a wasteland – a paradox, because there was much water around.
Not far away was another mudflat, much older than the first because plants have colonized it and were vigorously competing for sun and space. I saw grasshoppers trapped in spider web, a house lizard stalking for its prey, beneath it was a toad, eyes half open. It was a mini forest of sort.
Taking the same route in the weeks that followed, the bare mudflat turned into greenery, while the older mudflat become part of the lakeshore which was to become part of its bank. I pondered on the gradual transformation of the mudflats every time I took the same route.
The ways of nature are mysterious. Learn to adapt to its laws and order continuously and without end. While you will never fully understand them, you will find them useful to living in many ways, enriching it with so many blessings.
Some years ago I wrote a verse and I quote:
“You are alone at your lowest ebb.At low tide the sea reveals her shoreThat bathes under the sun to its edge.Go to the sea and learn its chore.”
- A.V. Rotor, Nymphaea: Beauty in the Morning
Learn the realities of life as may be gleamed from the mudflats – or from the seashore in this poem. You realize that renewal is a fact and is happening everywhere. There is renaissance everyday. The cycle of nature is dynamic aimed at rebirth and stability - so with your life.
The mudflat became part of the shoreline and soon enough, became strong to protect the lake from erosion and siltation. How do we compare this with life? Similarly the foundation of life undergoes an orderly process, seasoned with time, and aimed at a goal. Stop now and then, and reflect on the dynamic evolution of the landscape and life itself.
A Short List for Sharing
How do we share our experiences with others?
Take these practical clues. Take notes and seize the moment. A scribble here, a scribble there will certainly refresh thoughts and memories. They enshrine feelings and capture imagery. Here is a list I made from my observations on the UST campus and while strolling at the Parks and Wildlife Center.
1. I discovered germinating seeds along the sidewalk and under the trees, pale green in the early sun rays, shy and delicate but daring to meet the world. Get close to them and observe the beginning of life.
2. It is the olfactory sense that works this time: the white, clustered flowers of dita (Alstonia scholaris) are most fragrant at dawn and dusk. They are inconspicuous during the day. Stop and smell their fragrance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the mind keeps us up in our work, so does it makes walking with nature an enjoyable experience.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Nymphaea water lilies come in white, yellow, red and purple, and are most beautiful if they come out spontaneously in the same pond. The flowers open slowly with sunrise. Sit down by the pond and observe them. Bees hover and alight on the open flowers, taking time to gather pollen, and kissing the dew and nectar.
4. The fire tree (Delonix regia) casts a dainty veil in the sky. What a contrast with the fire it breathes in summer! Shy, the veil is the finest of all foliage, filtering the morning sunlight into long fine rays converging in the misty air below. Such are the contrasting characters of this tree – one associated with fire and blood, the other of calmness and humility.
5. The traveller’s palm (Ravenola madagancariensis) is supposed to guide a lost traveler, providing him direction and precious water. But the fan-like arrangement of its leaves are in disarray, apparently because it has lost its sense of direction in the crowded garden. How many of us have also lost direction in our lives in crowded cities?
6. A giant African snail (Achatina fulica) leaves a slimy trace during the night, and remains docile during the day. Introduced by the Japanese soldiers during WW II, it has become an orphan and a pest, an enemy of gardeners. What a way to live!
7. A house lizard darts on flies and gnats. Either it is a late or early feeder. For the house lizard is nocturnal and sleeps during the day. But early morning finds them still on their prowl. Creatures have different biological clocks.
8. Balete (Ficus benjamina) – I find it a villain, strangling its host tree with massive prop roots. The parasite uses its host as prop and trellis until it has gained enough body to stand by itself like any tree. Man can be as cruel as the balete. Don’t get within the strangler’s hold of the balete.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Being a biped is an advantage of man over all other creatures, for at this level we are most keen to what is happening around.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. The Philodendron is kinder, it is a soft vine, it snakes up into the branches to catch the sun, its roots clinging on its host, but not harming it. As summer arrives, it retreats, leaving but some stems from which new buds grow the next season.
10. Old camphor trees are as old as two generations, I saw them for the first time I came to Manila in the sixties. They were already mature trees then. Now they senile and dying. It is the polluted air that is killing them. So with the agoho trees (Casuarina equisitifolia). I don’t find the old ones anymore.
Oasis: Fancy or Myth?
It used to stroll at the Sunken garden of the University of the Philippines in Diliman. On a couple of occasions I conducted an on-the-spot painting contest for a summer workshop here. Even during summer this one place remains like an oasis in the desert. It is because it is the basin of the surrounding watershed. The ponds are always full. Ducks are friendly to picnickers, cicadas sing in the trees unafraid, and frogs even croak in the day. Some people throw something in the water, a coin perhaps, wishing for something.
I looked at the calm water. It was perfect mirror. I took a piece of paper and wrote my thoughts.
Tell me your throes,Worries and woes;And to the fishesYour wistful wishes.
I laughed at what I wrote and threw a pebble. Ripples erased my thoughts.
Now and then you look for a “oasis” because there is drought around. Here you feel detached, even while others suffer, even if the world is in trouble. While you prefer the lighter side of life, you can’t remain in the comfort zone of the oasis forever. Otherwise you miss the many challenges of life that bring about its true meaning.
Walking is not a means of escape. It is not one when there is trouble at home, or when we want to evade responsibility. It is not recourse either. You simply can’t reason out, “Sorry it’s time for my leisure.” Even if it is in keeping with good health and groom. There must be something bigger that should aim at.
Now and then you look for a “oasis” because there is drought around. Here you feel detached, even while others suffer, even if the world is in trouble. While you prefer the lighter side of life, you can’t remain in the comfort zone of the oasis forever. Otherwise you miss the many challenges of life that bring about its true meaning.
Walking is not a means of escape. It is not one when there is trouble at home, or when we want to evade responsibility. It is not recourse either. You simply can’t reason out, “Sorry it’s time for my leisure.” Even if it is in keeping with good health and groom. There must be something bigger that should aim at.
Teachers on field trip follow nature trail on Mt. Makiling, Laguna
Part 2 - Excellence is next to Perfection
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether this happens at twenty or at eighty.
In response to several requests, I am writing down this third part of Excellence. The first and second part are posted in this blog. 1. "There is more to life than increasing speed." (Mahatma Gandhi)
"Haste makes waste," Stop-look-listen, has saved many lives. "He who runs fast cannot see the countryside." "Who walks fast gets a stabbing wound." "Stop before you reach deadend." These are some lessons I learned early from my dad.
I remember a story about a trader driving a cart loaded with coconuts for the market.
"How can I get there quickly?" he asked an old man on his way.
"Just go slow." quipped the old man.
"Foolish old man," he muttered and galloped on the dirt road. The nuts spilled and rolled, he had to stop now and then to retrieve his nuts. He reached the market late.
2. We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
"Foolish old man," he muttered and galloped on the dirt road. The nuts spilled and rolled, he had to stop now and then to retrieve his nuts. He reached the market late.
2. We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
Novelist Ernest Hemingway's favorite photo is one showing him kicking an empty can on the road, football style.
The lost pilot in Antoine de Saint-Exupery's novelette, The Little Prince, found company with a "little prince" in the desert while trying to repair his plane. The child turned out to the little child in oneself, the one who never grows old, who never loses hope and idealism. It is this child that enabled him to go back to civilization.
3. Whatever we possess becomes of double value when we share it with others.
And if that possession is more than its material value such happiness or love or compassion, it does not only double but will multiply every time we share it with others. Good deeds defy mathematical law. Kindness, in fact is the highest wisdom. (Talmud)
4. "Although the world is very full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." Helen Keller.
The lost pilot in Antoine de Saint-Exupery's novelette, The Little Prince, found company with a "little prince" in the desert while trying to repair his plane. The child turned out to the little child in oneself, the one who never grows old, who never loses hope and idealism. It is this child that enabled him to go back to civilization.
3. Whatever we possess becomes of double value when we share it with others.
And if that possession is more than its material value such happiness or love or compassion, it does not only double but will multiply every time we share it with others. Good deeds defy mathematical law. Kindness, in fact is the highest wisdom. (Talmud)What makes Gone with the Wind an all-time top grosser is its superb portrayal of human frailties that continue to haunt us.
Helen Keller was blind since infancy. She rose to fame to become one of the world's greatest women - author, teacher, philosopher - and proved that no infirmity in a person can prevent him or her to live fully and be of service to others.
Many great men and women were able to overcome their own limitations. Beethoven was totally deaf when he wrote his musical masterpieces. Claude Monet was losing his sight when his painted Water Lilies, his ultimate masterpiece in huge murals. We know of people around us who succeeded in life in spite of their sufferings. Suffering to them could be the compelling reason for success. They took the least trodden path of life that is most challenging, yet the most rewarding.
5. Anyone who stops learning is old, whether this happens at twenty or at eighty.
People struggle to learn to earn, to earn to learn, but the most difficult is to learn to learn. If we do not open the door to knowledge, the world closes and leaves us behind.
6. In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on. (Robert Frost) In fact it is Frost's theme in many of his poems such as Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, which ends with this stanza.
The woods are lovely dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
and miles to go before I sleep.
7. "From the errors of others a wise man corrects his own." Publilus Syrus
This is not often the case. Developing countries follow the path of industrialization of advanced country and commit the same mistakes. There are more broken families today than before, and in fact, increasing.
8. When opportunity knocks, some people are in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers.
Many people take the four-lobed clover leaf as a symbol of good luck like marrying a rich guy, winning the Lotto's jackpot, stumbling on a gold mine. Mother luck is one-in-a-million chance, a castle in the sky, a wish come true in a falling star.
Luck is opportunity you take by the horn, so to speak. it is the fruit of labor. Or one we read on a jeepney, "Katas ng pawis," a reward from perspiration. Or "Katas ng Saudi" (Oversea's earning)
Mimosa pudica (makahiya)
I pulled a joke on my students in a field lecture, "Whoever can pick an unfolded leaf of makahiya (Mimosa) will find his or her wish come true." Meantime I took a rest under a tree.
9. To some people truth is not only stranger than fiction, but it's a total stranger.
I remember a story of two friends. One said, "I don't belief in a God." Evidently he is an atheist.
"Oh, I see!" quipped the other, as they continued walking on the golf range.
The sky was heavy. Suddenly a bolt of lightning cracked nearby. The atheist automatically crossed himself and mentioned God.
"I thought you don't believe in God."
The sky was heavy. Suddenly a bolt of lightning cracked nearby. The atheist automatically crossed himself and mentioned God.
"I thought you don't believe in God."
"Reflex action, lang yan."~
Ignorance is false reflection of truth. (UST Fountain of Knowledge)
10. Nothing makes an argument more interesting than ignorance.
A debate may go on and on in the name of justice and honesty and love, ad infinitum. And quite often, ignorance hides under the skirt of Motherhood Statements where no one appears to be wrong. And truth becomes more difficult to find.
Argument for the sake of finding the truth tells us why Socrates, the father of philosophy and the most revered citizen of Athens in "the glory that was Greece" was condemned to die. Why Aesop, father of fables - moralism in animal stories - was pushed to his death from a cliff? Ignorance is truly dangerous. the enemy of truth. It is not falsehood.
In the list of the world's best political novels are Tolstoy's War and Peace and Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. Excellence has its own time and often accompanies a great idea whose time has yet to come.
Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday [www.pbs.gov.ph]
Part 3 - Discover Nature and Discover Yourself
Get out of your confine, find a place in nature, live with her beauty and bounty, her people and community, you may yet find the meaning of life.
Idyllic Farm Life mural by the author, circa 2002
If you've been residing in a high rise building, taller than everything around,
and touching the clouds, and you know your feet is off the ground;
If you've been missing the passing of seasons, the wonders that each brings,
though you keep the holidays and weekends;
If you've been constantly bothered by ailments that medicine can only relieve,
and not cure, and doctors can only advise;
If you've lost contact with your roots through the years of searching for fame,
wedging farther your connection, feeling like an orphan;
If you've succeeded in your career, rising to the top to the awe and admiration
of your colleagues, yet deep inside is a feeling of emptiness;
If you've reached retirement after all the years of work and its responsibilities,
but trapped in a dull, prosaic life of boredom;
If you've lost your loved ones, alone you gather the pieces of happy memories,
nostalgic they are the rest of your life;
If you've been a good and loving guardian to your own children and other children,
and they call you dad or lolo, and feeling being young again;
Get out of your confine, find a place in nature, live with her beauty and bounty,
her people and community, you may yet find the meaning of life. ~
Part 4 - In Pursuit of Happiness - A Self-Assessment
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog
Gross National Happiness (GNH) Index has recently gained a place in measuring the level of development of a country by inputing an elusive parameter which is happiness. GNH Index can be downsized for local application, individually or by group or community that is closely knit.
Relationship is still the Number One source of happiness
However, the standard development index remains: Gross National Product (GNP) Index, the annual total value of goods and services generated by a country within and outside its shores, as differentiated from Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total value generated within the country only.
This was modified to include Human Development (HD) Index, in order to determine how a country's wealth and earnings are used for the welfare of its citizens in terms of health, education, housing, and the like.
Parameters of Happiness of GNH Index:
1. Psychological Well-Being
2. Health
3. Time Use
4. Education
5. Cultural Diversity
6. Good Governance
7. Community Vitality
8. Ecological Diversity and Resilience
9. Living Standards
10. Family
11. Spirituality
12. Sense of Achievement
Enjoying the beauty and bounty of Nature
Quaintness of living (Bannawag Magazine staff)
Individual perception of course, varies, so that it is suggested that a kind of self-evaluation be conducted using the Likert Scale:
1 Very Poor, 2 Poor, 3 Fair, 4 Good, and 5 Very Good.
Compute the average by adding the values of all the parameters, and divide the total with 12. This is the general perception of happiness of the person concerned. What is equally - if not more important - is in being able to find out the main source of happiness, at the same time, the least. This exercise therefore, is aimed at re-affirming our sense of values in the pursuit of happiness. So does a community or country.
NOTE: The Gross National Happiness Index was coined by the fourth king of Bhutan, a small country on the Himalayas, claimed to be the place where "the fountain of youth can be found." Anyone who has seen the movie The Lost Horizon - better still read the novel - will certainly wish to live here. Bhutan started using GNH as a broader measure of national progress than GNP, following an old Eastern philosophy.
Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Mc Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM Band 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday
Part 5 - In Praise of Nature
Dr Abe V Rotor
“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.” —Leo Tolstoy
Green Planet, acrylic on wood, by AVRotor, 2021. On display as
chandelier at San Vicente Botanical Garden, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur
Lifeless, our planet turned green in a billion years;
another billion into a living world,
in chains and webs and pyramids, and ecosystems,
with man arriving late in accord.
Convergence in Nature
To see the world in every living tree,
And Heaven in dawn’s solemnity;
Hold infinity in birds flying free
And eternity in peace and unity.
Adapted from William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence
Dimorphic Drynaria Fern
Dimorphic Drynaria Fern in acrylic by the author, 2014
Two kinds of leaves have you to catch the sun,
rain and organic matter;
when in summer time, one dies into cap and pan
to give life to the other.
Spring on the meadow
Spring on the meadow in acrylic by the author
Mist into dewdrops like beads of pearl,
cling on grass before the sun is up,
else vanish in the air and lost forever;
come and drink from my little cup.
Rainforest Stream
Rainforest Stream. A composite wall mural by the author of a running stream
through the woods, apparently near human habitation as shown by the
presence of promenades and fishing enthusiasts enjoying themselves
as in a park. Also, the stream empties into a pond of Nymphaea and Lotus
(foreground} giving the impression that the scene is at the edge of a clearing.
Nonetheless the whole scene speaks of an undisturbed ecosystem. The
presence of wildlife shows that this is their natural habitat. (9ft x 12ft)
St. Paul University, QC
Gather the clouds into fog and mist,
rain and stream;
Gather the fish, the birds and the beasts
to a peaceful reign. ~
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
- John Muir
Part 6
Capture the Happy Moments
“A good life is a collection of happy moments.”
― Denis Waitley
Dr Abe V Rotor
Happy moments are fleeting like passing cloud,
hovering with hope of rain falling;
though at times they come along like a shroud,
full of surprise or just sweet nothing. - avr
“A happy moment can last a lifetime if you remember to smile when
you think of it.” ― Anonymous
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what
you do are in harmony." —Mahatma Gandhi
Smile makes the world smile, too;
weep, and you weep alone, they say;
while playing or whatever you do,
create an aura of love to stay. - avr
Little things mean a lot may be a simple phrase,
yet no deed is too small to deserve the praise. - avr
“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends
will leave footprints in your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Each to his or her own, goes the saying;
perhaps in quiet moments and prayer;
but not when others are around sharing
the joy of the occasion altogether. - avr
"Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget
about it." - Jaques Prevert
“The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” – Elisabeth Foley
Who is brave, who is humble,
matters not in peace or trouble;
the world will little note the joy,
the innocence of a little boy. - avr
"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us." —Ashley Montagu
“Never forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend,
as you will always find me yours.” – Ludwig van Beethoven
We don't outgrow sweet memory,
whether real story or fantasy.
Oh! how time flies - and today -
it seems to be only yesterday. - avr
“Go on! Live a true happy life – in spite of odds, difficulties and pains – and proudly say at Angelus time, “Yes, I have had a successful life.” This is the highest form of prayer and thanksgiving you can offer to the wonderful, benevolent Creator. “ - AV Rotor
Part 7 - Kids' World of Nature -
Where childhood is forever
(In celebration of UN Children's Month, November 2023)
Kids' World of Nature -
Where childhood is forever
"Fleeting moments are most precious,
ephemeral yet eternal. The child in you
lives to the golden years of your life."
Dr Abe V Rotor
Catching land crabs with a bamboo trap. Palauig, Zambales
How I love to catch gammarong (Ilk) crab
when I was like my son Leo Carlo;
he learned the skill early from me, passed on
by old folks by the sea; Leo in turn
shall teach others before the art is lost,
as treasured trade and tradition.
Building sandcastles. Morong, Rizal
Building sandcastles, building dreams,
on waking up are gone, but they return
as sandcastles and dreams again
throughout youth, higher and bigger,
crumbling leaving ruins of memories,
ruins where castles once stood proud,
uniting reality and fantasy into a happy,
wonderful and fulfilled life.
Summer fun on the beach. San Juan, Ilocos Sur
Frolic in company with the waves and tides,
when the sea is as blue as the sky, and wish
boyhood is forever and never dies;
or you'll always tarry in later years if you don't;
for fleeting moments are most precious,
ephemeral yet eternal in that child in you
who lives into the golden years of life.
Christmas for under-the-bridge children. Pasay MM
The bells of Christmas sound louder among the poor;
the Bethlehem star shines brighter, too.
The angels come earlier in their homes without door.
in exchange of a simple lantern or two.
Instant swimming pool from busted pipe. Sta. Mesa, MM
A swimming pool in the middle of a street,
a busted pipe blessing to a dozen kids
in the neighborhood in frolic and laughter;
like a Riviera or Thoreau's Walden;
it's a children's world, a corner of Eden.
Mushrooms growing on a tree stump. UP Diliman QC
Mushrooms on a stump, home of the dwarfs:
red, yellow, white, or in disguise,
each color a character, a foe or a friend,
to find where the pot of gold lies.
Nipa Hut by the river, Tagbilaran, Bohol
Frolicking - game of the vibrant and the young,
recreating a primordial social bond;
where innocence means freedom and adventure,
In sweet abandon, here and beyond. ~
Part 8 - MOTHER is the sweetest word in any language.
In Celebration of Mother's Day May 14, 2023
Dr Abe V Rotor
8.1 "My mom is a never-ending song in my heart."
Author's spouse, Cecille, and their daughter, Anna Christina, on the latter's graduation day at Ateneo de Manila University with an MS degree in Information Technology, 2010
Mother is perhaps the most popular subject in all fields of endeavor and in all walks of life.
It is one of the most powerful words, specially when used in personification, analogy, simile and other figures of speech. It is used to describe both animate and inanimate objects, often putting "life" in an inanimate thing.
Mother pertains to origin and everything has an origin - innate and immanent, and from the time of conception, be it biological, idea or thought. The meaning of mother is readily absorbed in the human mind without undue restraint it is closest to love itself.
Of the definitions of a Mother I have chosen these quotations from famous men and women whose success is undoubtedly traced to the greatest queen and ultimate image of Mother Earth.
But how little do we know the vast goodness, beauty and magnificence of a Mother! Lo, to us who only see them through a keyhole, and not have the key to unlock the door.
The sweetest sounds to mortals given
are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven. ~William Goldsmith Brown (author)
I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Adabella Radici (author)
A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving (author)
I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. - Abraham Lincoln (US President)
Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buck (author)
It is one of the most powerful words, specially when used in personification, analogy, simile and other figures of speech. It is used to describe both animate and inanimate objects, often putting "life" in an inanimate thing.
Mother pertains to origin and everything has an origin - innate and immanent, and from the time of conception, be it biological, idea or thought. The meaning of mother is readily absorbed in the human mind without undue restraint it is closest to love itself.
Of the definitions of a Mother I have chosen these quotations from famous men and women whose success is undoubtedly traced to the greatest queen and ultimate image of Mother Earth.
But how little do we know the vast goodness, beauty and magnificence of a Mother! Lo, to us who only see them through a keyhole, and not have the key to unlock the door.
The sweetest sounds to mortals given
are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven. ~William Goldsmith Brown (author)
I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Adabella Radici (author)
A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving (author)
I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. - Abraham Lincoln (US President)
Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together. ~Pearl S. Buck (author)
The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men - from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes (philosopher, historian and author)
The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. ~Honoré de Balzac (philosopher)
My mom is a never ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune. ~ Graycie Harmon
When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty (actress)
Happy Mother's Day!
Mother's Day for the year 2023 is celebrated/ observed on Sunday, May 14th. Mother's Day is observed the second Sunday in May. It is a time to honor mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers for their contribution to family and society. Since it is not a federal holiday, businesses may be open or closed as any other Sunday.
8.2 - "A boy's best friend is his mother."
There has never been, nor will there ever be, anything quite so special as the love between the mother and a son. (Unknown)
Mother - the sweetest sound:
mommy, mama, mom, nanay, inay;there's mother in all languages,her breath, whisper the same thing,her face, smile, all her images.
Mother Earth, motherland,universal, living and non-living,mother's forever, in everything;when in comfort, when lost,there's always a mother calling.
Great men, a mother behind,angel on earth or hereafter,mother, first word in the cradle,mother, last word on the dying bed,first and last rays of the candle.
A Song for Mama, Ave Maria,on her birthday, on Mothers' Day;to Ceres, mother of good harvest,with Gaia, goddess of the earth,Rhea, mother of all goddesses.
Mother, guardian and teacher,to her own, orphans, abandoned,faith is but one, so with love,old and young, any brethrenare seen as mothers Above.
- avrotor
Markus, on his 3rd birthday, with his mom. During the first 3 years of life, a child’s brain develops at an astonishing rate. By age 3, the brain has reached 80% of its adult size. Developmental experiences determine the organizational and functional status of the mature brain. It is therefore critical during this time to focus on quality care taking and building a strong and healthy attachment, particularly with the mother or guardian who takes care of the child as a biological mother does.8.3 Favorite Quotations about Mother
1. A boy's best friend is his mother. - Joseph Stefano (Screenwriter, Black Orchid, and Hitchcock's Psycho)
2. Sons are the anchors of a mother's life. - Sophocles (Ancient Greek writer-dramatist,
Oedipus the King)
3. A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest. - Irish Proverb
4. Happy is the son whose faith in his mother remains unchallenged. - Louisa May Alcott (author of The Little Women)
5. A good son will never allow sorrow to befall her mother...and act as if he is an only child that cares...protects when no one dares...serves with his life in return...and most of all finds a wife that will love his mother too. - Helen Rebibis Ramos (Philippine author, Bluemoon of Memories)
Part 9 - Home, Sweet Home in 50 Ways
2. Sons are the anchors of a mother's life. - Sophocles (Ancient Greek writer-dramatist,
Oedipus the King)
3. A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest. - Irish Proverb
4. Happy is the son whose faith in his mother remains unchallenged. - Louisa May Alcott (author of The Little Women)
5. A good son will never allow sorrow to befall her mother...and act as if he is an only child that cares...protects when no one dares...serves with his life in return...and most of all finds a wife that will love his mother too. - Helen Rebibis Ramos (Philippine author, Bluemoon of Memories)
Part 9 - Home, Sweet Home in 50 Ways
"Home provides gives us the sense of belonging and comfort. Home takes the cold out of the body and spirit."
Home on the Farm in acrylic by the author, 1999 Here is a beautiful poem to start the lesson. In the movie, The King and I, Anna the English teacher sang the theme of the song, Home Sweet Home. It was typical in her time when Europeans left their homes and became pioneers in the New World, which was to become the United States of America. Others found the Orient, and for Teacher Anna, it was a special arrangement for her to serve the King of Siam (Thailand) as tutor to his children.
Home Sweet Home
John Howard Payne
Music by Henry Rowley Bishop (1786-1855)
(Arranged for the violin and piano by Henry Farmer)
‘Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which seek through the world, is ne’er met with elsewhere.
Home, Home, sweet, sweet Home!
An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain;
O, give me my lowly thatched cottage again!
The birds singingly gaily, that came to my call –
Give me them – and the peace of mind, dearer than all.
Home, Home sweet, sweet Home.
There’s no place like Home! There’s no place like Home!
There are 101 definitions of home. Here is a short list, compliled from our radio audience and website visitors.
1. Home is a roof for everyone, residents and guests.
2. Home is a wall with large windows that let the sun and the breeze in.
3. Home is where fish in the aquarium sparkle in the morning’s sun.
4. Home is a baby smiling, of children playing.
5. Home is a faithful husband and wife.
6. Home is a “place for everything and everything in its place,” but not always.
7. Home is dad and mom waiting for us from school.
8. Home is a workshop for hobbies and inventions.
9. Home is where our dog lies on the doormat waiting for its master.
10. Home is a litter of puppies and kittens.
11. Home is a rooster crowing, nature’s alarm clock.
12. Home is a house lizard’s crispy announcement of a guest coming.
13. Home is a frog croaking in the rain.
14. Home is a safari of wildlife – from insects to migratory birds.
15. Home is a warm embrace of a cat.
16. Home is a cup of coffee, a sip of wine, a newspaper.
17. Home is a warm bath, a cold shower, a bath tub.
18. Home is National Geographic, Time Magazine, Daily Inquirer.
19. Home is ripe tomato, succulent radish, dangling stringbeans,
20. Home is a brooding mother hen in her nest.
21. Home is fresh eggs everyday.
22. Home is the sound of birds and crickets.
23. Home is the sweet smell of flowers, falling leaves, swaying branches in the wind.
24. Home is the sweet smell of the earth after the first rain in May.
25. Home is a singing cicada in the tree.
26. Home is a swarming of gamugamo in the evening.
27. Home is a sala too small for so many friends.
28. Home is a cabinet of books, a study table, a computer.
29. Home is Beethoven, Mozart, Abelardo, Santiago.
30. Home is Charlotte Church, Josh Groban, Sharon Cuneta.
31. Home is Amorsolo. Picasso, Van Gogh.
32. Home is potpourri of appetizing recipes, of the proverbial grandmother apple pie.
33. Home is pinakbet, lechon, karekare, suman, bibingka.
34. Home is a garden of roses, a grass lawn to lie on.
35. Home is an herbarium of plants, a gene bank.
36. Home is home for biodiversity, a living museum.
37. Home is doing repair that has no end.
38. Home is disposing old newspapers, bottles, metal scraps, used clothes.
39. Home is a midnight candle before an exam.
40. Home is a shoulder, a pillow, to cry on.
41. Home is Noche Buena.
42. Home is fireworks on New Year.
43. Home is general cleaning on weekends.
44. Home is a soft bed that soothes tired nerves and muscles.
45. Home is a fire place, a hearth, which takes the cold out of the body and spirit.
46. Home is a Prodigal Son returning, Good Samaritan.
47. Home is a round table where thanksgiving prayer is said.
48. Home is laughter and music, prose and poetry.
49. Home is forgiving, rejoicing, celebrating.
50. Home is angelus and rosary hour.
To sum it all, Home is Home Sweet Home.~
Part 10 - Key to Peace of Mind
How balanced are you today?
Yes, you can earn and enjoy the most elusive state of happiness - Peace of Mind.
Dr Abe V Rotor
When you wake up in the morning, go to the mirror so to speak, and look at yourself. Imagine you are at the center of a square. In a perfect square setting you find Peace of Mind. POM has four attributes, which are associated with positive feelings, such as happiness, feeling of good health, mental alertness, calmness, resoluteness, and the like.
A hearty laugh
At one time science tried to devise a biorhythm clock to indicate the ups and down of each of the four attributes. The premise is that every person has his own biological clock greatly influenced by body physiology. A woman's menstrual cycle, for example influences physical condition and temperament. Transition in life stages is a major factor such as the age of puberty, and mid-life crisis which is beautifully expressed, "Life begins at forty." And how about reaching the golden years and the sunset of life?
The coming and passing of seasons dictates the shape of our "square." Winter is generally the loneliest, thanks to Christmas. Spring brings pep and hope, when buds peep from the bare trees, when the birds herald its coming. Summer is vacation, it is a time for loafing and respite. Autumn is sad, but it is a beautiful season.
Then there are circumstances beyond human control such as tragedy in the family, sudden loss of health, broken relationships, and frustration over failures in personal goals.
Whatever conditions you are in today, go to the mirror and see for yourself who you are today.The Magic Square.
1. Intellectually, are you sharp or dull? Have you been forgetful lately? Maybe you have to postpone making a major decision if you are not mentally prepared. On the other hand, make full use of sudden mental alertness. Deliver a paper in a conference, call a staff meeting. Finish a chapter of the book you are writing. It's a new idea, it comes as a spark of genius. Capture it! Just don't submit to your intellectual mood - create one that would bring you the best mind for the day.
2. Psychologically what's eating you? Hold your horse away from anger or aggression. You'll only regret if you submitted yourself to unguarded moments, spurts of emotion which when uncontrolled will lead you to trouble. On the other hand, get out of bed, go to nature, there is a calming effect when you are close to her. Don't deny your genuine feelings though, for good reason. People will love you for being kind, for being compassionate. Remember. "Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone." (The Way of the World, Ella Wheeler Wilcox).
3. Physically, are you fit for the day? Assess the rigors you have to face. If you have been exercising regularly, keeping away from smoking and drugs, and taking the right food, your fitness is not only for a day. True fitness is a long term reward of strict regimen of good health. And remember to keep a positive disposition, just like the Greek philosophy, "A healthy mind in a healthy body."
4. The spirit - the Little Prince in every person (The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery) - is key to attaining an ideal square of your life. Feeling of emptiness is traced to a spiritual vacuum - when the inner person is neglected. When the "why" in life gets more and more difficult to answer, when life's true meaning comes to a crossroad - or even to a dead end. When spirituality can be neglected even in the midst of religious fervor, and therefore will not grow. When winning is not a win-win equation, when the pedestal is out of reach, the spirit fades away. Take heed, don't wait for the day you get lost in the Sahara desert.
Balance yourself today, the best way you can. Continue doing so day after day, until it becomes a discipline - self-discipline. Only then can you earn and enjoy the most elusive state of happiness - Peace of Mind. ~
---------
Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class Monday to Friday
No comments:
Post a Comment