Tag: Thoughts

subtle unfoldings

Posted on by Ajmal
a photograph of beautiful rose petals that I captured from Tsaghkadzor in Northern Yerevan, Armenia

If you’re going to commit your efforts to anything, it could be a good idea to focus on something that already works. To people who already love you, to promising things, and to places that make you feel more alive. You may have to stop trying to fit in places where you no longer belong. You may have to abandon your efforts to become someone who is more widely accepted by the public but more foreign to your own heart. Life communicates with us in the most subtle and minute ways. In the little clicks, delightful coincidences, and unexpected unfoldings of the most routine things. These signals are striving to direct us down the many pathways that have been structured for us. Perhaps you should learn to believe what passes you by before you can trust what settles seamlessly in front of you. Perhaps you should trust what isn’t working because it will ultimately try to point you in the direction of what will. On the other side, your life awaits you. Presumably, my most recent posts have all been on hope and perseverance. God bless you. It is an honor to have your time and attention on the themes. : )

“Roses and thorns are parts of the same plant. Somehow though, some people are concerned mainly about the roses. The rose is not on the plant for more than a week, but the thorns are there forever. Roses are teaching that the beauty of life will bloom, once you have taught yourself the lessons given by living with the thorns.”

― Grigoris Deoudis

lamp of hope

Posted on by Ajmal

Life is, to put it mildly, uncertain. It is a beautiful and one-of-a-kind gift to everyone of us. We don’t give ourselves enough credit for enduring adversity and conquering challenging situations. Even at the worst of circumstances, given enough time to heal and think, there is always a lesson to be learned. Don’t get me wrong: life may be thoroughly seem to be harsh and unjust at times, and there may be moments when you can’t find any rationale atl all for what you’re going through. But hang on, you’re doing well. That’s where you have let go and trust on the divine will. Everything that happens to you and those around you has a reason and a purpose, which we would comprehend only after a certain phase. Keep the light of hope blazing.

Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.

― Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

hopeful fortitude

Posted on by Ajmal

I often discuss with Netta on coping with uncertainity. We are meticulous planners by nature and often it requires robust emotional strength to cope up with the smallest uncertainity in life. In most contexts, uncertainty is often related with vulnerability. After all, we all want to feel in charge of our lives, whether it’s our employment, education, friendships, or relationships. The sensation of being “out of control” is unsettling, and we are all guilty of avoiding this vulnerable zone whenever possible. However, by doing so, we are eventually restricting our potential to improve in these areas of our life that need commitment. It is often in these moments of dread and uncertainty that we learn how strong we can be and how much inner strength we really possess. After all, personal progress flourishes where distress flows. That’s what I’ve learned with experiences throughtout my life. Often strong rooted faith and trust in the divine will of Almighty can be a good solace, often in times when we are going through tough times. You may not notice it today or tomorrow, but in a few years you will be completely mystified and astonished by how everything lined together to bring you somewhere beautiful – or where you’ve always wanted to be. You will be relieved that things did not turn out the way you had hoped. Never lose hope. Everything is manageable as long as you have hope. In reality, this inside fire of patience, trust, perseverance, faith and hope is alluded to as the real inner strength.

“Hopeful Fortitude” | Original Fine Art from The Border of a Mind studios.

cadence of memories

Posted on by Ajmal
From a travel through Gadauri snow lands in Georgia.

The concept of “past” is derived from information stored in our memories.
Because of the recommendations we get, we believe we live in three distinct periods of time known as the past, present, and future. The only reason we have a sense of “history” is because numerous things have been implanted in our minds. For example, the time we registered in primary school is a piece of information in our memory, and we view it as a past event. However, subsequent occurrences are not remembered.As a result, we consider the uncertainties to be things that will be experienced or occur in the future. But, just as the past has been experienced through our eyes, so has the future. However, we cannot know these experiences since they have not been recorded in our memory. We are bound to time, but Almighty is beyond the realm of time.

I remember that I previously wrote about this in perceiving time in Ponder Series before.

..All the experiences, events happening truly runs as “stories” in our minds and we only have impressions of them as they pass us. When you read an article on my website, for example, that’s a story weaved in your mind when you think about it later. We “perceive” time by usually comparing a “story” or a “moment” with a previously known moment or event if we think about it. When you’re reading this blog on your phone or on your computer screen, just clap your hands once and you’ll hear a sound. If you clap once again, you’ll hear another sound. Now, we call this interval between these two claps “time” by thinking that there’s an interval between them. When you clap the hands for the second time, the first clap sound you heard is only nothing more than a memory that’s formed in your mind, sort of like an imagination. You see, this comparison of moments and events and correlating with each other is what we perceive as time in our lives.

“Perceiving Time“, Article on The Border of a Mind.

lofty spirits

Posted on by Ajmal

From an early age, society shapes us to fit in. To blend in, avoid doing anything out of the norm. That, by definition, involves neglecting chances and opportunities to try new things. However, advancement, fulfillment, and delight are byproducts of exploration. Ironically, the society that seeks to force us to conform needs us to walk as ourselves the most. To give in the only way we know how. Finding our voice and following our path, then shining a light for others along the way.

Beautiful wall art at Ilona Cafe, Muweilah, Sharjah

Know, O beloved, that man was not created in jest or at random, but marvellously made and for some great end. Although he is not form everlasting, yet he lives for ever; and though his body is mean and earthly, yet his spirit is lofty and divine.

– Al Ghazali (1058-1111)

delight within

Posted on by Ajmal
” Delight Within” – Original fine art from The Border of a Mind Studios
This is loosely inspired from the delightfully curious life of my son, Ehan

I just completed an art piece based on the idea of a pleasant admonition to be contented with oneself. Allowing yourself the freedom to be who you really are and discovering the richness in the life you’ve been given. There are many wonderful things in your life, and even if you don’t always see them, they are there to help you create magic with the talents, traits, and characteristics you were born with. Simply learning to explore the joy you already have inside yourself can enhance your outlook on life.

Delve into my other art works.

un-rushed

Posted on by Ajmal
Principal Photography: Netta Edited & Styled by The Border Of A Mind Studios

The pace of the world has slowed from within through a gradual change in perspective. I’ve mirrored the same. I’ve made more time to listen—to my heart, to the new season ahead of me. At these times, I choose happiness over disorder. These are the times when my steps sing with delight. These are the times when I am my most authentic, real, and honest self. In silence, I realize how much I run throughout my days. I realize how infrequently I pause to collect my breath. This reality kindles something within. It weakens because I know I’m not supposed to spend my life swayed under this rush .The more I pray about my pace, the more I realize it has taken me nowhere. I’ve only discovered emptiness in the midst of the chaos. But in my slowness, I’ve discovered richness. I’ve merely found potential for growth and recollection. I’ve just come to believe in more and more grace. When I go back on my recollections, I just want to remember the quiet, simple, and peaceful moments. Nothing is more precious to me now than chasing harmony via divine affirmation rather than earthly approval. The world is continually in motion. And all too often, I emulate its shaky steps. I strive to keep up with its unpredictability and unbalance, but I always fail in its middle. In silent and peaceful prayers, I come to respect how I was never intended to seek anything other than pure, honest, and sincere rest—the sort that takes me to the route I was always meant to travel and the tale I was always meant to live. In short, try to feel and experience every moment. God bless : )

intangible sway

Posted on by Ajmal

You may believe you have no influence in this world. Yet, someone hears a tune on the radio that makes them think of you. Someone has been lost in the pages of a book you suggested to them. Someone on the bus recalled a joke you told them and giggled to themselves. Someone put on a shirt and felt stunning because you complemented it. Someone has a recollection of you that makes them smile. Someone is sipping a drink from a cup that you gifted them with. Someone now loves themselves even more since you made a casual remark that made them feel wonderful. Never underestimate your effect; your fingerprints can’t be removed from the little acts of kindness you’ve left behind.

Holding Ehan’s hands on a calm morning of the weekend | theborderofamind.com

Up,up and away.

Posted on by Ajmal

Wisdom is no more relegated to the places we desginate them from. You know, sometimes, wise words would overpour from unexpected placed, like a toddler’s scroll book. Moments to cherish whirl away like scattering baloons in the blink of an eye before it metamorphoses into a memory. As Antione de Saint-Exupery put it, ” It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. “
You might already would have deciphered that I’m trying to brew some philosophy through the title of this post while Ehanu is looking at a chapter in his mickey story book with the same title. We are all kids disguised as adults at the end of the day. Aren’t you : ) If you’re reading this, you are.

Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.

William Feather

place in the world

Posted on by Ajmal

My mind these days typically revolve around the lil one and the experiences to be kindled. If he’s the earth, I’m the satellite of moon around him. Often as we grow older, the beautiful soul of a child with fierce demeanor and curiosity to explore dwindle away in the chaotic flood of normalcy, notions and routines. The round pegs in the square holes are always cast away. Curiosity is the arsenal of discovery and learning. Rose Wilder Lane once told that curiosity is the hunger of the human mind. In my vision of this initiative, I had expounded that one of the salient aspects of this corpus of writings has always been to kindle this childish curiosity we are born with. As I pen these words, that’s telling that I yearn for that inquisitiveness. I’m writing and working on art to keep the fire and flame afloat. Boundless curiosity and open minds are doors to a sea of depth, broadness and reason. One way of staying alive is to ensure that this is not being robbed off our souls. God bless.

Ehan pondering on the aquatic universe | principal photography & styling: theborderofamind.com

.. “Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.”

Mae Jemison