a haiku kind of morning

Wise limestone hills think
Tranquil river whispers tales
I gaze, hear, absorb.

I awoke this morning to the sound of a hot air balloon exhaling flames outside my window – like a multi-coloured whale in the sky.

A new day of absorbing nature’s pleasure has dawned in Yangshuo.

The mountains have already awoken with the sun and are standing silent in the morning mist, doing their daily meditations. The river, awake all through the night, is whispering of the places its been and how far it’s come. It carries on to other places, but its water slows long enough within this magnificent view of mine to reflect the thoughtful mountains behind. It too, is spending some time in reflection this morning.

This is exactly the view from the foot of my bed out the window.

And I, snug in my bed, stunned by the sights waking has brought to my eyes this morning, also stop to ponder, think, reflect. I give way to the dozens of noisy thoughts in my head. I have far to go before I can meditate with the silence of the mountains.

One thought shines through: how blessed am I.