Good Age

How good is friendship?
As good as age of a friend
Whose food transforms taste.

cakwe, elementary school snack served in style
onde-onde, never getting bored of it 💝
six of “avengers” but only three were available this time – when we were young, we counted the price tags; now we count the limits and portions of cholesterol, sugar, salt, red meat, blah blah blah while saying “aaah this one is good!” 😁

All Directions Are To The Same End

Blessings, Beloved,
Accepting with no review—
See it differently.

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Today’s short message from a wise friend takes one of the longest thought. Lucky me for being alone so the time and space is serving just me.

Sometimes our emotion isn’t our emotion. It might be someone else’s that sits in us because some people entrust the emotions to us when sharing their burden to us. Believe it or not there is exchange of energy when beings are interacting with each other. We get sad when our family is sad. We are upset when our best friends are betrayed. We can be devastated when our pets pass away. The scale of the impact depends on how deeply they get hurt and/or how vulnerable we are to them. As simple as that.

When I asked this good friend why people or incidents are not avoidable although I’ve made best effort to stay away. Her message is “karma”. She is a Buddhist so that reply is her logical response. Besides I see the logic of karma thing.

Although I can’t tangibly prove that I live repeated lives, I live in karma system. If I do good, I get good. I do no good, I get no good. Simple and straightforward forward— whether the cause is the good one in the past affecting the current situation; or the present good deed affecting the future (not necessarily related to repeated life), that’s a certainty

But why the karma isn’t working as one to one? No, karma works like someone who plants mango seed – one mango seed will only give its fruits when it’s ready and the one seed will give the farmer hundreds of mango fruits. That karma. Alamak….!

So what should I do, Bude? I asked my friend.

Her message (translated into English word by word): that is your task of compassion.

So?

Accept it. Grow more good seeds that bad one. Pour clean water to your jug that is filled with dirty water until the jug is overflown with clean water and the dirty is flushed out.

So I can’t avoid them and don’t need to avoid them. The only thing I should do is to accept them without review. The only mandatory review is to my own emotions; understanding whether the emotion is my emotion or unnecessary impact that happens because of weak protection membrane around my own self.

This is not new thing for all of us. Yet 2020 and 2021 have been field of emotional battle in which I’ve learnt how to identify my own and others’. What a period! I wish all is getting better with the upcoming birthday. Amen.

So lucky to have good friends who are willing to accompany me in this journey.

Dear God, love me and love all my good friends. Thank you for giving the blessings of friendship, true one with true one. Please let me stay in the true one.

Salaam.

wherever the directions, the end is love and compassion, nothing else – if we accept it

Journey of A Friendship Is To Know Yourself

Time runs, Beloved
Not flies. Its feet touch the ground,
Planting you deeply
To the journey. Feel the pace,
Beloved. The end is good.

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Today’s video call with 6 best friends was at least 2 hours of stupidity in the brink of wisdom.

The talk of health of some of us and overall healthcare in our country has become both joke and contemplation.

One of us said that as a father of two he doesn’t want to be selfish thinking about his health too much. He wants to give the best to his children and if he has to leave them forever, his family won’t suffer of having too little. This oldest of all of us is always the funniest yet the wisest.

One of us said that whatever medical complaints she has, she wants to handle them now. She said she’d better know the diseases how much ever bad they are and do possible treatments soon rather than later when she is older. What a good anticipation!

Another said that he still enjoys everything freely. He called while chewing donuts with heavy chocolate and sugar toppings! What a joy!

Most of us don’t have serious medical issues except that the pandemic in the country is more happening that fear of it is more deadly than the virus itself.

Blahblahblah and hahaha continued when we talked about religions. Those who are religious made fun of us who are “not clear”. And we teased them who are “too clear-cut”.

Fun 2+ hours! Mood booster to welcome another week!

Hope we are all completing everything well.

Take care, crazy good friends! You’re blessed.

Sure we’ll still meet again in a better time! So sure!

💝

just-put-them-in leucadendron and pink striped daisy is ready to welcome the productive week 😎

A Neighbour-To-Be

One step out of gate
Is a neighbour who greets you,
Supports you with heart.

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‘ve always loved to have neighbours, good neighbours. Bad neighbours? Gosh! They are just those who don’t know how to thank for what they have been given and think that others are more blessed and happier. I had both back then. Now? My neighbours here are doors with numbers, cleaning service and security guards. 😁

Many want to live in a place where neighbours are those greeting and supporting each other with heart. I don’t mind to have a few rather bad neighbours among most good ones. And my home-base-to-be seems showing good signs. A good friend cum a good neighbour-to-be said that her friend owns a restaurant located near the home-base-to-be. A restaurant named “Jiwa Jawi” (literally means Javanese soul) is there right at the back of the home-base.

Wouldn’t it be nice that our backyard is looking out to a restaurant in a small jungle? When the food at home isn’t enough for visiting family and friends, just dial the number and get some to be delivered in no time. Indonesian food will always be one most favourite on the home-base’s dining table.

Another good news, this restaurant is a ground where people can eat, chat, camp, play, gather, pose to enjoy the day! When some intermezzo is needed, just step out of the gate and chill out there. Some friends said it is instagramable.

Can’t wait, can’t wait…. I miss home.

Salaam….

Heaven Is Where?

Where are you now, Love?
Home is around the corner.
Turn right and be there.

One of good friends sent her work of art, compiling her memories of Sulawesi trips into a sweet calling-home clip.

Thank you, Mbak Adek for reminding me that I’ve got home, a beautiful one. A beautiful home is a heaven on earth and in heart.

Home is where heaven is. Good friends make you realise that it’s real!

Salaam.

This video was produced by Adek Azhar. She is a cat lover, a happy mother and grandmother, a good friend, a crazy traveler, a senior journalist as best description of her. Can’t wait to travel with her after pandemic in our small group of awkward travelers! 💞