A Thought On Paradise

A Thought On Paradise

I was practicing an oriental health exercise by walking barefooted on “planted” stones in Monas Park. As I lay down on the stones on my back to have my back also “massaged”  on the stones, I got a new, wonderful view of the trees with their branches, leaves as  something of a beautiful silhouette painting, embroidery  against the clear sky. I never observed in that way before and I thought that it would be wonderful to have my bed in the garden and view the trees, the stars, the moon and clouds. As I turned and lay down on my side, I saw the people exercising, walking without feet as though gliding on air. How wonderful. Viewing the world in this way, in a lying down position was new to me.

Viewing from above on a plane I saw the clouds beneath me as wonderful giant icebergs or an enchanted city or country as in the tales  of Thousand And One Night.

I saw, felt the beauty of spring when the Mahogany artistically was sprouting new leaves, as delicate as a Chinese painting of plum blossoms in winter, yet without being in  Europe in spring. And I thought of  flower arranging. But this was by Nature’s hand. I remember the exquisite beauty of the blimbing with hundreds of red tiny flowers perching on her stem and branches. And a branch with blossoms of the Lamtoro tree, so fine, so “fragile” with hovering little bees on its woolen-like small round flowers was as seeing a paradise in the air. Not to say of seeing a paradise in a flowering coconut tree from close by, or a paradise in the showers of blossoms of the King-palm tree or the showers of red-, white-, black-colored berries of the Buni tree.

And just before my feet there was a paradise in the water, formed by a rivulet. Wide, clear and very shallow, so that each grain of sand could be seen, little water palms here and there and the grass half under water and a bit fresh green of algae and an only little fish, the Kepala Timah, Cupang, Beunteur, and there was a blue  damselfly perching still on a grass leaf rising from the water or hovering  still in the air. And the water further flowing imperceptible, silently, endlessly into a stream-let again to new paradises. How live that water was as compared to water from our taps, fountains or swimming pools.

Then, I saw another paradise in the distance. How green the paddy as a giant carpet, the tall trees surrounding it. How fine to walk,   how cool is Nature’s park. And I thought of Adam and Eve wandering beneath the trees, enjoying the stream-lets, the fruits, hearing the same birds, feeling the same cool air, wind, seeing the same sun, stars, moon, clouds as happy, delighted, enraptured as I am now. 

I’m so grateful as I could see, find a paradise just before my eyes, my feet without searching for a Paradise to the end of the world. I could find a paradise anywhere.

July 18, 2008

June 2011