The Body language!

I have a about forty photographs of this pair of Bulbuls, while they were perched for about three minutes in our courtyard. 

The above photos summarise the different body postures of this pair as they were at this flight station, at day break processing the sights and sounds. 

It gave me a sense of the presence they practice by processing the environment!

The presence of awareness!

Not the presence of distance but proximity, to plan their next flight move!

They feel guided as they process and choose!

The silent pauses they practice in between their hopping flights make us realise how they are externally aware and inwardly ready to respond!

The inward readiness to listen, consider and respond!

Listening and seeing with alertness and responsiveness- a way these birds live and move!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

From looking to beholding!

Each of the photograph above of flowers and a plant has something that stands out when closely observed! 

The first has its biography of earlier flowers, current flower, a bud waiting to pen and buds in formation. It carries a generational history. 

It has a spider hiding on the flower that is withering. 

The second is a plant with spurting leaves and a bud in the centre withe the dew of the night giving a decorated look to the leaves. The leaves themselves look colourful and gorgeous in the morning sunshine. 

The third photo of a jasmine bunch of buds with one flower about to open gives a surprising colour contrast. The flower in a white complexion and the buds in another shade of white. 

Anna tells me that with only few birds visiting our garden in the recent weeks, I seem to spend more time with plants and flowers. That is probably true. May be it brings a new understanding about the richness in plants and flowers. 

Even leaves have a durable look in the morning sun! The photo below fascinated me because the hue of colours in the leaves before the colour contrast would become distinct in few days, gave me an exposure to the transitions in the morphology and colours that take place in plants. They occur unnoticed often.

I felt refreshed by these sights because what happens around us in the plant life are so rich and inspirational. What is not large or obvious does not get noticed unless one is intentional to observe. 

The plants communicate as much as birds through their silent presence, hue of colours and nourishing life they bring to bees and butterflies !

The design on these leaves held my attention. What a sight of amazement! It was when I used a magnifying glass, I got to see the intimate designs on the leaf with the edge of leaf looking sharp giving it its shape. 

I feel that a sense of wonder and amazement was what I needed to feel lifted up to behold nature through another optic of openness! 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

The confluence of differences!

What fascinated me about the photos above is the spread of natural colours in the flowers and fruits above. It is only when we have photographs we can get an in-depth appreciation of the rich blend of colours the flowers and fruits display!

We get to know people around us at different levels. We know them from a distance or from a closer contact. We feel drawn towards people in friendships, based on what we feel special about each person. Each person is growing and changing. It is only as much as we are able to receive and welcome those changes, we can grow in trustful relationships. 

The friendships last longer when there is an attitude of openness and cordiality in spite of differences of opinions or attitudes. It is when we look for a replica of ourselves we feel the relationships as straining and unfulfilling. 

The colours above are distinctly different from one flower to another flower or one fruit to another fruit. 

We can revive old friendships; we form new friendships; we may move on from one level of friendship to another level of closeness or distance. 

In all these situations, it is necessary to receive others through the optic of how the other person likes to be regarded rather than based on our expectations or inferences. 

Friendships become cordial when there is openness, acceptance and consideration!

It is what we can offer to the other person is what really matters. What we receive ought to be seen as good enough and stay being mindful of others. 

How liberating it is to welcome the differences as different shades of colours which create the mosaic of wonder and amazement!

Such an attitude grants the freedom and flexibility to regulate our level of engagement with others guided by the reciprocal comfort! This takes away the strain of relationships and brings a generous attitude towards others we are in touch with!

The different level of relationships are like the hue of colours we see in the plants and trees in their leaves, flowers and seeds!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Looking in the direction of hope !

 

One Honey bee and one Bulbul at mid morning in the garden !

The garden has colourful sights and berries for birds. But it is left with an empty nest and bears a deserted look with occasional birds, bees and butterflies. That is what marks the garden now with the onset of summer heat. 

I was drawn by the still posture and silence of the Bulbul, looking little lost without the usual chirping of many birds in the courtyard, where normally birds congregate after their feed in the feeding station. Now the feeding station also does not have avian visitors. The squirrel which thrived on the fruits in the feeding bowl also is no where in sight. 

The garden did not change much with the onset of summer. But the avian behaviour has changed. 

The single factor that dominates the attention of the world leaders today, is what the president of the United States of America is up to! Its president is challenging Iran, Yemen, Gaza, Canada, Ukraine, Green card holders resident in the USA, immigrants....! The immunity the president offers to the Russian president is most shocking! The language of war is what the president of the USA proposes!

I am appalled at the silence of the United Nations Organisation! Its absence from dialogue, advocacy and negotiation and silent surrender to the whims of the leader of one nation is a terrible embarrassment, as its reason to exist is peace and fraternity of all nations. 

The Bulbul in the above photo symbolises a sense of apprehension or uncertainty in its posture !

The bees have disappeared in the summer heat even though there is enough nectar in the flowers!

This world is a place of resources and opportunities. The language  of fear, domination, threat, revenge, punishment, and annihilation is the loudest in the political world, which depletes people of hope and peace.  

I returned to the pot of Lilies on a few occasions in the day, because it gave me a message of fullness and colourfulness ! 

The believing followers of Jesus of Nazareth, now in observance of lent, in preparation for the recollections of the Holy Week when Jesus was crucified, would remember the way Jesus displaced the merchandise in the temple of Jerusalem with a call to prayer and to restore the temple to be a 'house of prayer for all'!

The symbolism of prayer is communion with God and with one another. That is why prayer becomes a language of loving communication!

What disarms hate and violence is love and compassion!

The  flower cluster in the first photo above is open and welcomes bees to offer thier nectar! A nation of people, who gives its share of goodwill and prosperity is like a flower, in its habit of being for others!

After the Second World War, it was the USA that was most charitable towards people of many nations. How is it that its language now is 'make America great and rich' and chooses to be an invader!

The first photo above of open and bright flowers offered me consolation! Amidst the heat of turmoil and conflicts around us, those flowers announce life in all its fullness!

There are many encouraging signs to restore hope! I hope I can dwell on them!

In the Book of Psalms, in the Old Testament of the Bible, (Psalm 121:1-2), we find an invitation: ' I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth....' !

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The garden of life!

The summer flowers in the garden are different from the usual flowers of roses, jasmines, buttercups, and others. 

The bees and butterflies are seen in the garden only occasionally. The honey sucking Sunbirds are not regular visitors in the garden. 

The flowers are colourful but less fragrant and do not have their visitors of bees, birds and butterflies. 

Flowers in our garden tell another story during the onset of summer. They need the shade to protect them from the mid day heat of 36 degree celsius. 

I am reminded of young children who need the protection from parents and the society, when they grow up in a violent world of war, crime, drug abuse, some cinema or cartoons entertaining with violence and abusive scenes.  

The child protection is often confined to physical protection and provision; but what children need equally is emotional protection and provision. 

I heard from some parents that children spend about six to eight hours watching programmes in the TV during the holiday time while both parents are at their work place. 

There are some schools who have planned for summer camps for children to give them opportunities to be multifocal with personal development activities, sports, outings, adventure events, swimming, boating, outdoor games, art, music, learning musical instruments....!

A child flourishes when nurtured!

I wonder if parents can be helped to see their child through this optic!

The parenting journey in education about different stages of development of children needing different approaches is not emphasised enough.  The parenting process of providing for children, therefore might also be correspondingly less impactful!

Parenting is both science and art! The traditions influence parenting style significantly. That too is not always desirable. 

Children are in the garden of life! I wish children would receive precedence over wealth creation! This to me is responsive parenting!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

 

The attachment process!

After twelve hours of the rain fall, at the following day break, I felt surprised and curious with the sight of water drops on leaves and fruits in our garden. What a phenomenon of attachment!

The surface of leaves and fruit receive the water and retain them for long hours. 

I have been listening to families on phone recently about their parenting initiatives and explorations. The families engaged in home schooling of their children have an experience of growing intimacy in relationship and trust with their children. 

The leaves and fruits have an affinity for water. The water drops rest on those surfaces unless force of gravity or a blowing wind displaces them. The water drops stay on surviving those disturbances. 

Is there a drift in parenting style? Are more children left to fend for themselves from early childhood with reduced meal time conversations, bed time stories, interactive play times, guided nature walks, structured conversations, or planned instructions and conversation times?

A father regretfully told me this. His habit of reading the news paper in the morning with a cup coffee coincided with his son getting up in the morning. His son would come to him with a toy and he would feel interrupted while reading the newspaper. He ignored him or forced him to go away! On one morning, the boy pulled away the newspaper and sat on his lap! The boy embraced him and wanted to be held! 

That was an experience which brought a new consciousness in this father. 

The traction of a young child is towards his or her parents. This is what we refer to as attachment behaviour! It is the foundation for the emotional development of a pre-school child. A child who was used to be carried till about nine months, having moved on to crawling, sitting, standing, walking, running, from the age of nine months lives with a void of physical contact with the parents. The only way a parent can draw a child to oneself, who is moving away to be independent is by creating times with the child in play and conversation to maintain this inward intimacy essential for a child to feel secure and a parent to feel fulfilled !

What we give to our children through times of interactions would stay on to help children to feel rooted with a sense of belonging. 

Our children are likely to be distracted by the gadgetry around them. Initially they become a means for entertainment, later they entice a pre-school child to be dependent on them. 

I was appalled to find that children insist on having a smart phone by the time they are about six years. A teacher teaching children in the first standard, told me that ten children out of thirty children in the class had a smart phone. She has a cupboard now for children to keep the phones safe. She told me that most of the parents do not use the child lock to prevent children from indiscreetly surfing the internet! We seem to be in serious trouble with parents not being  thoughtful enough!

The primacy of attachment in family life between parents and children need greater attention and protection. The conversation times, play times and engaging times are as essential to nurture them through childhood. 

The surfaces of leaves and fruits have a traction towards water drops!

I wish parents would have more natural traction towards their children to make the attachment process intimate and interdependent!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Living with grief and loss!!

The Papaya tree above, in our front garden has been a favourite spot for birds and squirrels to feed on.

This Papaya tree which was only short in height,  grew up on its own probably from the seed in the compost, given as the manure to a nutmeg tree. 

This tree had a good supply of Papaya, which we did not gather but left for birds and squirrels to feed on. We have another five Papaya trees in our garden which supply us with fruits in all seasons. 

Yesterday in a windy rain, the upper fruit bearing part of the tree got blown away ! Anna and I looking at the tree remembered how this tree fed many birds and squirrels for he last two years.   

It is now memory and a big loss to the birds and squirrels.

Yesterday the bombing of Gaza by Israel killed about 400 people. It happened when all hopes were focussed on the continuation of the ceasefire. The bombing was intended to harm and not just create fear or pressure on the Palestinians to surrender. 

The wind does not regard property or people. 

It looks like humans have also been wild in their behaviour in the recent months!

The loss and pain of people who are hurt do not become an issue of concern for those in responsible positions! They act mindlessly, selfishly and aggressively! 

The first photo of a Bulbul and squirrel meeting on their way to the Papaya tree to feed, taken a few weeks ago, remains as a message to me that we are all in a common existential journey on earth.  We are therefore neighbours and fellow travellers!

I wish the rulers of Russia, USA, Israel, Iran and few other countries in the Middle Eastern region would have a change of heart and mindset!

It is a narcissist mentality to delight in the suffering of others! The carnal desire to have geographical control of regions beyond the territory of a country is aggression, violence and hatred! It is unimaginable that Israel can stop humanitarian supplies to people in Gaza. They are without food, water and medical help! A first time event of this nature since the Second World War!

The Quakers during the second world war advocated and practiced passive resistance against war and aggression! Theirs was a gentle voice of reason in the wilderness! It influenced some. 

Now even such voices are not heard as violence seems to benefit many!

The Easter Lilies in our garden withstood the wind and rain yesterday. That gives me hope! The Lilies formed a 'community' to face the adversity!

Let that be a symbol of the inner resilience all of us need during such times of disregard for human worth and right to live!

We live on, amidst losses and fear because the resilient Lilies stand as a monument of the 'will to live' in order to 'love our neighbours as ourselves'!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)