The stars of sunshine: a poem of love between the sun and the blue waters of the earth. Celebration of love this Saint Valentine’s Day. (No- too tacky!)
The Sun is back
With all its might
Flying to the earth
At the speed o’ light
The liquid sky trembles
It’d pined all night
One fervent embrace n’
Countless stars of delight!
Sunlight dancing on water…
Yesterday was sunny, although not comfortably warm and a park nearby glowed. The stream reflected the abundant sunlight. I could watch the light dance on the shining blue waters for hours- it was so magical!
These pictures were taken to capture that magic. But could one ever really do that, fully?
Deep blue sky , clear after days of clouds and snow. #nofilter
It was about 9 in the morning. The clouds parted and the sun walked in. The air was crisp and fresh. The leafless trees carried a faint memory of the snow storm the previous night. I felt so happy to be around here; the mood and ambience reminded me of cozy snow covered homes in christmas cards and the warmth of an optimistic life and living, a feeling that one might get after a long dark night…
What a disservice this book has done. As I read, I was far removed from my daily life and the chores, much to the silent consternation of my family members; Outlander had swept me off my feet!
This is the first book in a series of eight books (so far, and counting) by Diana Gabaldon. It is 1945 and the World War II has just ended. Claire, a combat nurse, accidentally goes back in time, two hundred years in the past to 1743, and there begins the adventure. She encounters few McKenzie clansmen in kilts speaking with Scottish Gaelic dialect, who, suspecting her to be an English spy, take her along to Castle Leoch. There, she tries to heal patients with whatever amenities and herbs she is able to get. Amidst family politics, clan rivalry and the Jacobite rebellion, develops Claire’s relationship with Jamie. Their fierce and impassioned love in the thick of continual danger, constant insecurity and looming fear only gets stronger, and keeps the book together. Their love and dedication to one another is one of the things so wonderful about the story. As they are displaced hither and yon, one witnesses the loyalty and valor of friends who come to their rescue from time to time. Set in the pristine Scottish Highlands, the book is replete with rich imagery of the terrain and the flora, with detailed description of plants, trees and birds.
The Scottish Highlands
I had almost fallen off my bed seeing the page count of my ebook: three times of a ‘regular’ sized book. How was I ever going to finish it? (Besides, there is this Goodreads Reading Challenge 2017 I signed up for, you see.) I finished the book in not more than 4 days, staying up very late, getting up in the wee hours, and reading while waiting in the car! It was worth the while. It is amusing to see life in those times, simpler of course, but certainly not as convenient as today; our commonplace comforts in the 21st century are manifold over those of the richest of the rich of that time. The valor displayed by people in wars and combats made me shudder. The book is so long and detailed that one starts dwelling in that time, living life along side the characters. And since it is a series, the characters and their stories create for us a universe, not unlike the Harry Potter series of books. Having completed the book, I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Book # 2 is on my list.
Note of the TV series: I saw the first episode (because it was free on Starz), partly out of curiosity, and partly due to my longing to dwell more into the book. It is quite well made, the show, left to itself. But I would not want to watch it just yet, as the characters I created in my mind reading the book still linger, with obscure faces notwithstanding, that are close to my heart. I would not want to spoil the aftertaste while it lasts.
Some of my earliest memories are from the house I grew up in: a huge British bungalow surrounded by aged trees and inspiring wilderness (attributed to lack of any proper gardening). I was must have been in early elementary, sitting by one of the bright windows that thrust in the tropical sun, tracing the dotted lower case letters in a handwriting workbook: my father was teaching me the cursive hand, the norm, and expectation, back in the day. I’d trace each letter over and over until I could reproduce it independently on a 4-line notebook.
Why do I bring it up, here? Steal Like An Artistby Austin Kleon is all about tracing until you can reproduce it independently. Or something to that effect. The book is not about stealing per se, as much as it is about making a paradigm shift in how you see the world. It bursts the idealist bubble some of us create for ourselves (for the worse), only to realize that art builds on art, and there is nothing “original” as such in this world. Suddenly, you feel you are a part of this huge fraternity that is working with you; you are not lonely anymore, sitting by yourself in a cave trying hard to create something out of thin air! The small book is a compilation of friendly advice stippled with inspiring quotes and clever visuals. A quick fun read, and certainly recommended for business leaders, artists, writers, budding spiritualists and anyone who is trying to inject creativity into their life and work. “In other words: this book is for you”
Some quotes and thoughts I liked are below:
Pick Masters who inspire you, emulate them and try to see the world as they do/did; fake it till you make it. Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.
The great thing about dead masters is that they cant refuse you as an apprentice. You can learn whatever you want from them. They left their lesson plans in their work.
You are going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with.
Embrace your limitation and keep moving.
There is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Saul Steinberg: What we respond to in any work of art is the artist’s struggle against his or her limitations.
I picked up the book after listening to this segment on NPR’s On Point. Loosely translated, “hygge” (pronounced Hhyuoogah) would mean something like cozy + intimate + joyful. I’d say it’s a book about how to feel Christmas-like, all the time. It is interesting to note that the weather in Denmark is not what you’d ask for: continual rain with truly no dry period, very short days during winter and mostly cold weather in general. Despite this, or because of it, the Danes are so good at the art of hygge. The more adverse the weather, the more one feels the security of the warm indoors, safe from the hostile outdoors.
The author of this book Meik Wiking is the CEO of The Happiness Research Institute in Denmark. He tries to bring the reader to understand how it would look and feel to hygge (BTW, hygge can be used as a verb or an adjective). He gives a list of “things” that bring about the required “feeling” and effect: the lighting (like use of candles and diffused lamp lighting, and a wood fireplace, of course), clothing (socks, scarves, woolen jumpers and such), foods (a hot drink, cakes) and the company of a small group of like minded people. How he talks about cake, convincing “scientifically” how our brains are wired for sugar to make us feel good! (All the diet theories out the door I thought to myself; good thing I didn’t have any cupcakes in the fridge.) Reminds me of another such ostracized food, and do excuse my ghee propaganda here: In Ayurveda the meda dhatu, one of the seven fundamental elements in a human body physically representing the fatty tissue, when well nourished, gives the person a feeling of love, compassion and abundance. No wonder the chocolate binging when one is sad or depressed!
It is always simple rustic things that bring about the intimate cozy feeling; hygge is inversely proportional to bling. Surely, the soft touch of wool or the look and feel of rustic wood is much more welcoming than the sterile feeling of steel and glass. The author has an interesting list for ‘hygge on the cheap’. And a list for things to do every month and during the winter and during the summer. Actually, it is a book of lists, and for a list-ful person that I am, I kind of like it. Ok, so moving on, another list has some interesting Danish recipes, but what I loved the “elderflower cordial“, or just the idea of it, bringing to my mind smells and colors of sunshine and lemons! (Pic below).
Denmark, consistently a top ranking country for happiness of the people is concerned, is a welfare state. The Danes worry less creating space for the feeling secure and happy, which, I think, is just wonderful. People mostly bike in Copenhagen instead of using cars. It is all about slowing down and enjoying the now, which, for most us, is but an academic goal set in future time.
What I loved most is to google the list recommendation of places to visit in and around Copenhagen. Below are some pictures from the web. The book is peppered with graphs (no, not intimidating at all) and illustrations which are minimalistic and beautiful, just like the book cover.
To tell you the truth, I started the book in a lot of excitement and expectation that was vaguely in line with Power of Now or Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, books I found phenomenal. This book was nothing like that, and didn’t give me those “aha” moments must’ve been looking for. Useless, I thought a few pages in, much disappointed. However, as I read on (I always try to finish a book I start), it dawned upon me that the book is about the art of creating hygge and thats what it does, and does it alright. Recalibrating my expectations, I found the book written in good humor about good feelings in life and how to go about it by transforming your space. I must say, if not anything else, it certainly makes a beautiful coffee table book with a benign cover and short sections for a quick read. The Little Book Of Hygge on a rustic living room table, some candles, a fireplace and a couple wool blankets thrown in, can’t not add to the hygge factor of one’s space!
"What do we ever know that is higher than that power which, from time to time, seizes our lives, and reveals us startlingly to ourselves as creatures set down here bewildered?" -- Annie Dillard
Life according to one of life’s truly gifted naturally born wafflers… an open diary of a Saffer in a different land... life in the greater Dublin & Leinster area. (Blogging since 2011) My quests fuel my dreams… my dreams fuel my quests!!
Madame Zenista 