Swinging Into Simple Joys

You learn something new every day, provided you get out of bed and step outside, even for a little while. Today, I felt like chatting with you all again, so I came out to my lawn and sat on the swing. Signs of spring are starting to appear. The chill in the air has significantly lessened. My marigold flowers have bloomed a little late, but they have bloomed nonetheless. My heart, which had felt a bit heavy for the past few days, feels a bit lighter today.

No, please, no philosophy, no deep talk... just a casual chat, like the kind you have over afternoon tea. Not even discussing people’s behavior today. Instead, let me tell you what new thing I learned.

While sitting on the swing, I thought of taking a picture of the sun. Yes, I had never tried that before. So I grabbed my phone camera and took a shot. When I checked the gallery, I noticed a circular halo alongside the sun. For a moment, I thought, "Wow, I’ve discovered something new." But then I took another picture from a different angle, and the halo wasn’t there. Hmm... curious, I went back to the swing and looked at the sun through the camera again. This time, a green dot appeared, moving out of the frame as I changed the angle. Eventually, it disappeared from the photo altogether.

Curious, I turned to my dear friend Google and found out the reason behind it. I felt a slight disappointment. It’s funny how small discoveries can make you feel like an explorer. Lol. No, it wasn’t a new discovery after all. Then I thought of @bambuka. If there had been something new, he’d have already discovered it, considering how many pictures he takes every day!

In most cases, the green spot, haze, or flare will happen when taking a photo with a strong source of light in the background. For example, if you’re taking a photo of the sunrise, sunset, or just about anything with the sun or a bright light somewhere in your field of view, or even outside the field of view, you will likely end up with that dreaded green spot, some lens flare, or haze. That is normal and is basically the light reflection and normally you need to move the device a little bit to avoid this glare.
Is normal if it is part of a reflection, if you see it and you move a little bit and is no longer there that is the normal one. Actually is common with devices with strong or high definition cameras with low light sense modes basically cameras more sensitives to light take better pictures but they are also more sensitive to flare.
sr

Yes, I managed to take a few pictures without any artifacts. It wasn’t that difficult—just required a bit of movement and angle adjustment.

Anyway, here I am, sitting in this gentle sunlight, thinking… Yes, thinking is inevitable, isn’t it? By the way, have you ever thought about this Punjabi couplet we used to recite in childhood?

عقل ہووے تے سوچاں ہی سوچاں
عقل نہ ہووے تے موجاں ہی موجاں

"Aqal howay tey sochan hee sochan
Aqal na howay tey mojan hee mojan"

Translation:

If you have reason (to question), you think.
If there is no reason, there is nothing but joy.

It came to my mind today, and how true it is, right? But what can one do? When you have awareness, thoughts will inevitably follow. Oh no, I’m slipping back into philosophical territory again... Too many brain farts as jaynie says... Lol

So, let me tell you about my marigolds instead. We planted 3–4 different varieties, our first attempt at this. We got flowers with two of the varieties. They are yellow and orange. They look beautiful:

Now look at these ⬇️. They’ve grown as tall as horses (گھوڑے جتنے بڑے ہو گئے ہیں), but not a single flower has bloomed on them!

(This was my mother's favourite insult: You have grown as tall as a horse, but no wisdom has touched you yet. Ghoray jitne ho gae ho pr aqal nai aiee ).

All these plants were planted in the same type of soil, at the same time, and they are of the same species, with just a difference in variety. Yet, each one is growing and blooming in its own way. The same water, the same air, the same sun, the same species, the same soil—yet two varieties have already bloomed while the other is still waiting.

These are the wonders of nature, aren’t they? Human intellect pales in comparison. People living in the same house are different; siblings are different; even people from the same province are never exactly alike in their habits, morals, ethics... So then, how can the concept of nationality make sense?

That’s when I get lost in thought. Oh, this habit of thinking has caused so much chaos. And then I recall what weisser-rabe says... this nation, homeland—don’t they hold any significance? How can that be possible? Surely, there must be some shared values, right?

What’s your take on this?

_{Night-blooming jasmine}

You think about it now; I’m just enjoying my swing—slow and steady. If I go too fast, it makes my head spin. Back in days, we used to race to see whose swing would go the highest. And most of the time, it was mine that went the highest. ;)

I must head indoors. The air is getting chilly now. It was a lovely day. Just the joy of being present in the here and now, letting the sun warm my face, the breeze play with my hair, and the marigolds remind me of the beauty of living in the present!