Bodhi's Blogs

We who cannot face the sun and see only the shadow
We who always forget today because we worry about tomorrow
We who always want the good life and forget to be good in this life,
We who makes man to follow the law and yet make laws filled with inhumanity and strife,
We who makes systems and conventions like chains and prisons
And break the backs of brave people with unconventional missions
We who are slaves to our own crooked decisions.
We cannot fly with the wind
Nor command the birds not to sing
We cannot enslave the human spirit
Nor transcend and have wing
We cannot feast to our heart's content
Because in greed our heart is always bent
We have become slaves of our own longing
Because we forgot that love is in the giving!

In this life we were sent to learn many lessons,
On hw to make mistakes gracefully,
How to live out our passions with serenity
How to appreciate beauty yet know it will not last
How to live and riches and glory without owning and being greedy,
That friendships are the world's greatest treasures,
That love is what makes us beyond measure,
The Reality is always greater than what our minds can conceive
That giving more of ourselves is the way that we can receive,
That money cannot buy the most important things in life,
That good relationships are the ones that really get us by,
That life will end whether we like it or not,
And so live now and give it your best shot.

The day is nearly done and the night has come
It's time to for me to rest and go back to my nest
Though it was such a wonderful day, good things came my way,
Life is such an exciting trip, a fragrant scent a sweet sip.

In life's short summer, the flowers i remember
The sights and sounds of beauty and pleasing laughter
The smiles of love, of giving treasures from above
The unforgetable memories of joy and tears i have.

All for a faint caress, a kind look, a wish for the best,
Life's full meaning unfold in little gestures and stories told
Of simple gestures of love, the small sacrifice profound and bold.
The essence of life is in giving, the essence of love is in living.

Most of us live our days dreaming about retirement. This serves as an inspiration for us to work more and save more and so look forward to a retirement with bliss, no work, no pressure, just plain and simple relaxation. It's ideal if one can retire early but yet money talks. One can retire only when one has already accumulated enough money to retire. Yet how much do we really need to be able to retire? How much is enough? I have another perspective to offer. A life without retirement....?! This might seem absurd at first but when i went to the beach, i was able to meet many fisherfolks who were living in perpetual retirement. For them, retirement doesn't mean a thing because for them the good life starts now. They love doing their work. There is no hurry. Life is slow and relaxed. And they have a good loving community surrounding them. They work only a few hours each day but the way they love their work make work not work but active love. And it even enriches them and makes them more energized. They have ample time for family and friends. They have simple joys and much of it springs from a peaceful and loving community. For them, life is not a burden but a joy to behold. They might not be as affluent as others but they are very much contented with their lives and this is all that matters. We might have all the riches but if we are still not contended we are still internally poor. But these people are rich inwardly and contented outwardly. This situation cannot be matched by money. For many retirement comes at the end of the road and as a fruit of a lifetime of labor (or unconscious slavery) and when we come to try to enjoy life we are already old and sick and are just preparing to die. This for me is a poor concept of retirement. Be content. Be simple. Love your work. Make a lot of friends and be happy. Forget about retiremet. The good life begins now!:wink: