Since my practice of Yoga, and Atmabhava, which I try to practice all the time, I end up being a bleeding heart. These phrases, looking at the world through rose colored spectacles and bleeding heart, what do they mean? The first one is an idiom which means to be overly optimistic or to view things in an unrealistic way. Bleeding heart is to considered to be excessively soft hearted or liberal.

In the Philippines I was so impressed, when I saw the hens and chickens living in little huts and a bottle of water kept near the hut. I asked our guide about it. She started laughing and said the huts were for the roosters and every weekend there were cock fights. Lots of money was lost and gained. The fights happened after they had attended mass.

Then I heard about spider fights and tortoise racing. Kids would catch spiders and bet on their fights. Tortoise racing was another kid sport.

Well, each country has its own views. The churches are full on Sundays for the mass. The mass is held morning and evening. It is an eye opener to see the people looking so joyous after coming out. Then they sit in trucks, eat and drink. It is like a weekly festival.

There is very hardly any knowledge about consumption of vegetables and vegetarian food. Vegetable chop suey can have bits of pork or chicken in it. When questioned they appear to be carnivores and it is meat and rice. There is very little awareness about lentils. Milk products are few and far between. Vegetables are very expensive. Though in the market, which I visited I saw plenty of vegetables.

What one sees is gentle people and they respond to your response of thank you, with them repeating thank you. It is like our namaste which means, I bow to you and when we leave, we again repeat namaste. They greet one with placing their hand on their heart.

They are tolerant people. Homo sexuality and transgender persons are accepted. They are family minded and what I liked best was that the man has to pay for the wedding.

I reflected on my visit to the tarsier sanctuary. The tarsier is a shy and sensitive creature. It hates loud sounds and bright lights. When one visits the sanctuary, one is asked to be silent. However some people chatter and use flash, which they are forbidden to do. I certainly learnt that one must respect the denizens, who live on this planet one must practice silence. Actually, it is not about us, it is about them.

Laughing about Lola and Lolo

At the airport in the island of Bohol, a family group was sitting next to us. I use a wheel chair and a stick after my spine issues. My husband had sprained his back so also had a stick. The airport was crowded and the children were running around the wheel chair. They did not know who it was for. Laughing I told them that it was for me Lola (granny). Then my husband gave the stick to a boy, who was a boyfriend of one of the girls.

While this was happening, a band was playing and the players were blind. The boyfriend started dancing with the stick and imitating how very old people are portrayed in a comedy. Walking and swaying from side to side. Of course, we all laughed heartily, and they called my husband Lolo (grandpa). It was very funny.

Better to be a bleeding heart and looking at the world through rose colored spectacles.

Aim Hrim Klim