Sunday, July 25, 2010

The Ocean for Ashok




In the beginning of July, I went to Corona Del Mar with friends and a little boy. It was overcast, and the beach was small which was ideal for families. This is not the glamorous Waikiki Beach, but I want to show Ashok how we enjoy the day looking at the ocean.




I didn’t take a close up photos of women in bikini, but you can try to imagine that you are lying on your large beach towel looking at the ocean. You can see the ocean waves rush down and up and white bubbles coming closer toward you and then disappear. It repeats in the most soothing rhythm with the sound of the waves. You don’t have to do anything. You just look at the waves, seagulls, and people running around.




You probably brought a book to read, but decide not to read after all. You absolutely think nothing and enjoy a sandwich and a chai with people you like. After you finish your lunch, you go to check the seawater how cold it is. You walk into the waves alone as though the waves came to pick you up. You feel the water. It’s a bit too cold. You decide to turn around and get back to your own spot again.

You lie down with your face pointing to the towel, fold your arms, rest your chin on top and look at the white sand. The sand is very warm. You keep looking at the sand and feel the sun and wish you remain the way it is forever. You do and think absolutely nothing! Even if you want to think something, the waves, seagulls, and the warm sand will not let you. All your wants in life disappear on the beach. You’ll love it. That’s all.



I found many small crabs on the rock under the water, but can you see them?

6 comments:

Rebb said...

Thank you for the relaxation, Keiko. The photos are soothing and reading your words, I feel like I'm experiencing a guided meditation. So nice.

I think I see the crabs. Mostly I see the clumps where they are and I might see their pinchers.

I’m a little behind on blog reading, but I think I remember reading in Ashok’s blog that he doesn’t have an affinity for the ocean as many do, but that other parts of nature speak to him. Thanks for sharing.

keiko amano said...

Rebb,

Thank you for your comment. You are right about Ashok's affinity to forests.


Ashok,

I'm sorry if I hurt your feeling.

It's came out of my regret that I couldn't let the boy next to me in class know how good chocolates were, and he was missing the excellence of all candies.

Ashok said...

Thanks for the photos Keiko

No you did not hurt my feelings at all by chiding me for not finding oceans very attractive especially when compared to lakes, forests and mountains. Rather I appreciated your comments and can imagine how grand or how much fun oceans can be to persons who are more familiar with them or live close to them.

Its just that I took some time to get to your blog and find that there are very many new wonderful additions.

keiko amano said...

Ashok,

Thank you for your kind comment. It’s hard to imagine how it is to be born and reared in the kind of inland you have lived and also about Himalaya. This is maybe a stupid question, but do tigers live in Himalaya? If they do, aren’t you scared to go up in the mountain?

The other day, my neighbor with a barren looking backyard came over, so I asked her about it. She said she likes plants and flowers, but her husband grew up in an apartment in an inner city, and she thinks his parents, too. He likes manicured lawns, but as soon as he sees falling leaves, he has to clean up. She said her large backyard is not barren, it has two large trees, but they are trimmed well all year round. She plans to grow rose bushes, so I recommended her the kinds not grafted because of suckers. They don’t say it, but I think they think of my yard a jungle!

Ashok said...

Keiko, you might show your friend a picture of my front yard that I put up today in my blog and she may find that it is worse than a Jungle. Shedding leaves is a part of the trees life just as humans shed hair but there are trees that shed less.

Yes the Himalyan mountains have tigers and bears an in the foothills elephants as well. I ma most scared of wild elephants because if they are not in a good mood they attack. Tigers usually do not attack humans and one can run away from a bear of the type here. There are lots of monkeys as well and most do not attack. There are snakes as well and they do not scare me because they do not chase and one can move away if one is spotted. One walks on trails or if in the wild with some noise with feet or stick so that a snake hiding in the bush will move away, because if one steps on them they bite. Good to have long trouser tucked into socks and boots to avoid that. Generally one knows what kind of animals visit which parts of the forest and there are several without tigers, elephants or snakes now especially as one gets up high in the mountains beyond a thousand meters and then it is safe to trek or hike in the mountains. However last year I avoided treks in the foothills because of the elephants.

keiko amano said...

Ashok,

I didn't know what to say in response. It's just beyond my imagination to think about an encounter with a wild elephant. It must be scary, but it's more than scary or exotic or wild to me. I can only think of it like Disney movies. Your land must be quite different from anywhere I've been.

And if the environment is so different, then the way people feel and think must be different, too. Although it's been through blogs, to have met you has been a quite shock to me. This is probably old and uninteresting joke to you, but everytime I see your name, Ashok, "A shock" comes to my mind. I'm sorry to make fun of your name, but I can't help it!

It's been very delightful to get to know you. Please keep sending more shock to me. It will be good for me like almonds.