Symphony of Orchids

As the high note of winter coldness lingers

                                         
                                and the boredom of whiteness floats in the horizon

                        what would be a better way to cure the chilly air of the Midwest

                                          than a trip to the city and see a friend

                                       to enjoy a summer air full of sweet aroma

                                         of butterfly-like petals of exotic blooms

                             with patterns of yellow and pink, mauve, white and green

                                zebra-like, tigress stripes, with plain solid ones, too

                                           so much to see, so much to enjoy,

I just have to say to myself

                                                that in this busy world of ours,

we sometimes get stuck with work, weather 

                                             and other small trivial things

when there are symphonies of beautiful things

                                    around us waiting to be seen and  appreciated

                            like these beauties at the concrete jungle of Minneapolis.

Observations of a Salvation Army Ringer

Today, I ringed the bell for a good cause at Cash Wise Foods in a little town of Moorhead in Minnesota. My first experience as a ringer was three winters ago and being a huge believer of voluntary works in the community, I decided to sign up again this winter. It was an afternoon shift inside the supermarket by the entrance adjacent to the shopping carts depot. Sheltered from the chilly temperature outside, I  flashed a smile and greeted "Merry Christmas" to everyone who came to shop. These are the things I have observed during the 3-hour shift:

1. Smile is a contagious thing. Everyone I smiled at, smiled back at me. One gentleman approached me, dropped some paper bills into the bucket and said: " You have such a pretty smile, I can't help but donate".

2. People are generous and unselfish when they know that their money will be used for a good reason. About 70% of the people who came to shop, stopped by, unplanned, to drop some bills, or some change.

3. "Merry Christmas" is still a universal greeting to acknowledge that Christ is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. One lady said: "Am happy that you greeted me 'Merry Christmas' and not 'Happy Holiday' because a lot of people nowadays has forgotten the true meaning of Christmas".

4. Nice people are everywhere. One gentleman gave me a cup of hot coffee. He said I might be feeling chilly. . . so I should take something to warm me up. 

Other observations:

1. I also saw three familiar faces, one lady I used to work with at Orbitz.com; one lady I made friend recently who works at the Mall and one lady who's the mother of my fiancé brother.

2. There were three babies and 3 young children who came in with their moms, or dads or grandparents.

3. Most of the people who came to shop came prepared with shopping lists.

4. And I saw a most sweetest site of all: an elderly couple holding hand in hand. Talk about "love till death do us part"!

All in all, it was a good, productive day for me and I wouldn't mind having another beautiful day such as this.

Buy me some rainbow

of red hot chilies for my coconut curried chicken 

 of hot pink salted duck eggs for my dipping tomatoes

 of green calamansi fruits to quench my thirst

 of some brown tamarind fruits for my "sinigang" soup

 of white "balut" for a night snack

of some tan-boiled peanuts for a movie date

of yellow green mangoes for a rainy day

of light-purple boiled sweet potatoes for an afternoon snack

 of green guavas to munch some more

and of orange turmeric roots for my tummy ache 

A Nation of Smiling Faces

Have you ever been to a place where people are so friendly? 

Isn't it such a treat to see all the smiling faces around you!

  

I didn't know their names but when I asked if they could pose for pictures,

they all gladly obliged with added bonus: their "wholehearted smiles" .

It doesn't matter who they were, what they did and where they were going,

be it a little child, or a grandmother, a group of friends or a passer-by,
a street vendor, school children, an office worker, even a pauper;

no matter what the time of the day was, in the morning, noon or night,

be it sunny or rainy, humid and hot;

Their smiles were free-packaged in different forms: 
big ones, little ones, bashful smiles and mouthfuls, too.

They all came with warrantees that one can return anytime, any day with no expiration,

no obligations attached for all those involved but surely will accept one in a flash.

So it makes me wonder when such is scarce and a luxury from most places I have been, 

here it doesn't take much effort to get one in a wink

  hence I am convinced that this place is a nation of smiling faces, 
with delightful hearts and sunny dispositions

 which tells me that riches here abound from inside out.
So my friends and all, be a nation of such to make our world a better place to live!

As the saying goes, "what sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. 

These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, 

the good they do is inconceivable." -Joseph Addison

Pink Rain

taunting wind chimes
with smell of rain
as they sway dance
a slow tango
of lovers with
eyes closed
cheeks pressed
against each other
locked in
total surrender
forever
in soothing world
of wind chimes
swaying  graceful samba
with cheerful notes of
pink rain

Money....

"What a wonderful world".

While Mr. Gandhi Noodle (my daughter's big, black cat), lazily rolled over on a cozy, warm and thick rug draped over the bare, wooden floor of the main level of our 1.5 storey house, I peeped through the window thinking if I should or shouldn't brace myself to go outside and enjoy some brisk moment of fresh, crisp winter air...

after a moment of hesitation, I thought I should start "winterizing" myself 

by simply not thinking of how dreadful it is going to be when snow 

becomes a common scenery in the months to come.

So I grabbed my long winter coat, a pair of gloves, and a pair of winter boots, of course not forgetting to grab my camera just in case I stumble upon 

some "interesting subjects".

Today started  on a a frosty note as I have noticed 

some light snow on the ground and everything around me. 

Nature is even more beautiful to look at against the clear blue sky. 

Though the sun was out, I can feel the sharp, biting coldness of Minnesota's  early winter air. I saw a bird perched on a branch of my apple tree but not another shadow of any creatures around. I saw couple of red, feisty squirrels yesterday but none today.

Though winter is just a few blinks away, I would rather think that I will find some delights and surprises on simple things around me to keep me inspired in life.

It makes me smile to catch a glimpse of a frozen pink "Sweet Williams" flower in my garden as I inch my way back to the house. And as I end this post, I heard from the radio the song "Over the rainbow/What a wonderful world" (by Israel ‘IZ’ Kamakawiwo’ole on Unforgettable: The Standards Collection). Indeed, what a wonderful world we live in.