Mindfulness mindfully updated

So I like to have my Weekly Necklace Photos reasonably up to date (to the extent of schedualling the posts while I'm away!) and I like to update you, gentle reader, about the ongoing Taming of the Elephant process.  What does this say about me? Well, with growing self compassion I can say that yes, in my sometimes fascinatingly unpredictabe life (especially the bits lived here in Nepal) a little order is nice.  It frees me up to be flexible where I need to be.  Yes, or even YES, sometimes I like a little routine.  I like....(here it comes...you'll be gobsmacked)....a little tidy up every now and then.  Those who know me will have known that the someone who decided to use the flood induced clean up for a sorting opportunity at Samunnat was me!Anyway, I continue to LOVE working through the TTE book.  I enjoyed the week of giving true compliments -genuinely reflecting on what I was grateful for in someone and telling them.  We talked about it at Samunnat and the ladies too are trying the idea.  I made sure that during the week, I gave each of them a true compliment (in my halting Nepali) which meant I learnt words for dogged determination, sense of humour, flexibility, good organisational skills etc.  Unfortunately I have forgotten a few of those! Then it was Mindfulness of Posture which gave rise, in part, to our exercise spots during the day and has helped me to be a bit more diligent with my daily Surya Namaskars ( I like that name so much more that Salute to the Sun which sounds kind of military.  Surya Namaskar is Hello to the sun.  Much nicer!)  Other things are flowing from this one but more of them later.I love the gratitude at the end of the day SOOOOO much that I continue to do it every night.  Such a good way to get ready for sleep.  Acknowledging my joy, my gladness, my delight about things that happened.  On the tougher days it's about seeing things you can find joy in.  And it's a good way to record briefly the little things that happen in each amazingly full day here.  Fireflies get a big wrap.  And waking up well.  Breezes (and by golly don't we love those precious breezes when they come???)  Electricity when we have it.  Smiles.  Learning.  This is a good practice for me.I enjoyed an ironic chuckle at the practice of  listening to sounds.  Some of you know that hearing ain't my strong suit.  I have been known to comment on the incredible silent peacefulness of a place before realising that the incredible silence was really mine alone!  Others heard lots more.  So it seemed just as well really that where I live here is currently a virtual building site during the day.  Given that some sounds have to be industrial strength for me to hear them, I am right where I needed to be for this particular mindfulness practice!  And only minutes away from Nepal's East West Highway.  I could mindfully reflect on the HUGE array of vehicular horns Nepal is blessed with.  Anyway...Another wry smile came with this week's practice of three deep breaths when the phone rings.  The phone ringing is up there on my Things I don't really hear list so I had to use another prompt and used seeing someone else answer their phone to trigger my three deep breaths.  I started off using car horns but ran the serious risk of hyperventilation.  Seeing the ladies dive into their bags was a good trigger for my three deep breaths.Tomorrow is a new practice and also my last day here in Birtamod until later this year.  I head back to Kathmandu on Tuesday and then leave for Oz on Friday.  I never take for granted that I can spend this time here.  The photos that accompany this post were all taken on Saturday when we went to Pashupatinagar in the hills on the Indian border.  This was in part an exploratory trip for our next Colourful Journey and was indeed worthwhile.  We will include it in the trip.  Pashupatinagar is a border checkpoint where foreigners can't enter India but Nepalis can.  It is also a common point for trafficking and Maiti Nepal's presence is strong.  Like all border towns, it was a great place for people watching and the shops strung along the winding road up to the checkpoint were just fascinating.  The drive up through sparkling emerald, rice paddies that gave way to tea gardens and rhododendrons as we gained altitude was magnificent and it was soooo nice to feel cool.  Even a little cold in fact.  Heaven for one suffering with a touch of prickly heat!