Life's Ups And Downs!

The beauty of life is that it is unpredictable! We never know what's coming up next. Sure, we can plan and prepare and most of the time, our plans follow their course. But realize that there are no guarantees and no assurances that our plans WILL indeed follow their courses. We are so used to it that we expect nothing different. Yet, life happens as we make plans and we are forced to react and respond to it. Our response, our attitude, our approach determines our experience of the change in plan be it positive or negative.

Here are a few pictures from our trip to India in December, 2011. These were taken as we drove between Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Since we were on a schedule, we couldn't stop and take photos as I would have liked, thus, I had to settle for taking pics from our moving van, through the windshield or the glass window.

Please take about 10-15 secs to really look at each photo. There are so many details to absorb.
These photos below were taken early morning and we can see the fog lingering close to the earth as the villagers begin their day.

Check out this guy on back of a rickshaw which is actually being pulled by another man! I abhor these!!! It breaks my heart to see a human being having to not only pull the heavy frame of the rickshaw but also, carry and tug the weight of his passengers!!! What a way to make a living. 

Garbage littering adjacent to shacks are a common sight all across India.

These make shift homes/shacks house families with small children. The cots standing against the walls are what the villagers use as beds. This simple cot is in fact a luxury item for the villagers. Most families spend night after night sleeping on a hard, dusty floor with just a thin sheet of cloth or newspaper between their tired, aching bodies and the floor. Check out the heart with the arrow drawn across it. Guess this can be added to yet another universal image depicting cupid's arrow.

The townhomes on the left are a huge step up. Also, check out the wife holding on to her husband as he rides them on his bicycle.

On our way to Jaipur and Fatehpur Sikri

Cows, buffaloes roaming in the streets and the sidewalks are an everyday thing.

Just another street with auto-rickshaws, scooters, cars and bicycles sharing the same road.

On the left is the line of rickshaws waiting for their next passenger.

The local market area where farmers sell their fruits and vegetables. 

A head of sheep on their way to greener pastures. 

Check out the little hut on the side of the road. This is just one of the hundreds of "dhabas" - local little restaurants that serve tea and food.

A young family on their motorcycle with their young child nestled between the parents. So much for helmets and seat belts. :)

Another roadside temple.

A game of cricket in the open ground shared by local buffaloes.

Horse-carts carrying loads along with workers who will unload it when they reach their destination.

Green fields!

Check out the makeshift scarecrow to the left.

Another street side temple.

I hope you enjoyed these images which depict the contradiction that India is with one metaphorical foot in the future, as one of the global leaders of technology and the other metaphorical foot seeped deep in ways dating back to the 20th century.

By the way, I recently watched this amazing movie called, "The Impossible".  It depicts the experience of a family of five foreigners as they get caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Thailand.  This was an incredible movie in terms of the director's ability to capture the tsunami's after math. But more importantly, it was a very good reminder of the unpredictability of life.

A wise man has said, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." Now if we could just remember this as we go about the business of living life.

Love and Light,
From one sufi to another,
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