Birtamod

This post comes to you from Birtamod...the home of the ladies of Samunnat Nepal.  For the next 5 weeks or so we will be working together on various polymer projects and related activities. The first couple of days are usually spent in a flurry of flowers, catching up, food and felicitations.  And more food.  Today, Parbata came to cook some celebratory kheer (sweet, spicy rice pudding) for us all.  Often, when a case is resolved, the woman comes back and cooks khajja (snacks) to share her joy.  It is a lovely tradition.  New ideas and developments are discussed and the outcomes of cases for some of the ladies shared.  Some have set up small businesses, others are working out how to over come setbacks and frustrations and all are taking each day as it comes...doing  the best they can in a tough world.Over the past few months, the ladies in the polymer group came up with their own necklace design.  The second I tried it on, I just knew I had to have  one and bought one on the spot.  I needed another necklace.  No, truly...I had so much polymer and polymer paraphernalia in my bag that the amount of jewellery bought over was not up to the required standard.  I really needed a necklace. You are naked in Nepal without a necklace-one of the reasons I love the place.The ladies are calling this their Jagariti range.  Jagariti means awakening and they hope that the necklaces will awaken different feelings or strengths for the people who wear them.  It combines carefully shaded polymer beads with strands of pote (seed) beads.  My necklace is called courage-my word of the Year for 2011.  There is more about the Jagariti range and catching up with the ladies here on the Samunnat blog.This morning my younger daughter sent me a quote by Mark Twain which I love and wrote some time ago in my special book -a book my sister gave me in the early 90s where I write quotes I like.  When the Why on earth do you think you can do this? voices start up again (they had) , or the What happens if you really stuff this up voices? persist (they were), this is one of the things I reread:Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbour.  Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.In spooky synchronicity, I also watched this Brene Brown talk about daring greatly.  Being here and doing this, I feel very vulnerable.  Watching this talk helped me to feel OK about feeling vulnerable.  And we began our day of creating by talking about all that.  Mark Twain and Brene Brown to Birtamod - loud and clear.