6/18/08

Sunshine? What?

The sun is finally out after days of showers and we watched the dismal defeat of the Lakers.

I am thinking about a trip to Mongolia...or maybe Inner Mongolia next month. My friend Roelandt was just up there because his friends from across the world chose to meet there for a reunion. He said it was a blast; days of mosquito blizzards and wading through piles of cow shit. Sounds lovely, right?

I imagine a feeling of coming home; the plains stretching out as far as the eye can see, the birds and bugs in greater numbers than people, renegade nomads with motorcycles instead of horses... It seems like it might be a welcome contrast to the madness of big city Kunming for a few days.

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Why Lotus? Why Pine?

The lotus signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment.

The pine signifies longevity and endurance because of its green foliage year round. In both good and bad weather, the pine thrives year after year thus it also represents pure life and constancy in the face of adversity.

Yunnan Province is a mountain landscape created when the Indian Sub-continent crashed into the tropical lowlands of Burma. It is a place with hundreds of unique species and dozens of amazing topographies. When I walk the mountains of Yunnan, I breathe fresh pine air and marvel at the indigenous wildflowers. Yunnan is also the conduit through which Buddhism came to China, along the caravan trails from India. The lotus is a Buddhist symbol of purity and perfection. When I photograph these flowers, I am always captivated by their geometry and peace-inspiring colors.

my motto

Look well to this day For it is life The very best of life.
In its brief course lie all The realities and truths of existence,
The joy of growth, the splendor of action, The glory of power.
For yesterday is but a memory. And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived Makes every yesterday a memory of happiness And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore to this day.

--from the Sanskrit