I love the people of Nepal because their happiness is authentic, effortless, and humble – a true statement of how living simply can provide you with an abundantly satisfying life. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to adopt this way of living? Here are two of my favorite portraits I took so far and a quick snippet I wrote about each woman.
Cloth
around you, above
you, below
you.
Antique charm,
ageless grace,
your breath illuminates me.
You are happiness:
the simple kind,
the kind that blooms
out of
patterned fabrics,
sewing machines,
pin-needles, and
colored thread.
Toothless smile,
wrinkled eyes –
the stars bathe in you.
Can I wrap your
presence
in this cloth, can I
sew
your spirit into my
dreams?
I come,
and you smile. I leave,
and you smile.
Happiness.
Crated coke bottles,
piled potatoes,
a gust of wind passes by.
You are love,
soft and effortless.
Silky like the sari
rolling down your shoulders,
steady like the
wall that supports
your back.
As if newly in love
or awake in a dream,
you are a
a beam of light.
Pure, effervescent,
strong.
I move forward and
carry you along –
winged butterfly,
petaled flower,
extending,
expanding,
enhancing,
existing in
each moment.
.
sooo beautiful! Thank you for sharing these.
Of course I love this little seamstress of sorts. I wonder if she loves fabric as much as I do?
Lovely
I love that. “I come and you smile. I leave and you smile.” Beautiful!
Thank you so much for reading! 🙂
Your pictures are lovely! What vibrant colours and such happiness that these women embody! Congrats on being FP! 🙂
Thank you for the lovely comment!
love this! so beautiful, thank you for sharing and brightening my day 🙂
Happy to brighten your day! Thank you for stopping by ! 🙂
Very nice pics! And what about local drinks there? In a country that is considered to be the roof of the world, they must have some bad ass liquor I presume! 🙂
Thank you! They beers were delicious.. that is all I had! Will be posting more about Nepal as well. Thank you for reading!
Okay… I hope to read more from you in the future than. It’s one of those countries you must see before you die I think. We can’t all make the peak of Mt. Everest, but we can go to Kathmandu and from there into the mountains. Into the world of monasteries, sherpa’s and yaks…
Congrats on the FP- well deserved! This is a lovely post, i love the colors in your pictures…
Thank you! And thanks for coming over to check it out 🙂
Reblogged this on valbonnaa and commented:
:))
Thank you!!! That is so wonderful. I really appreciate it and can’t wait to check out your blog 🙂
what a lovely perspective! so beautiful….congrats on being freshly pressed.
Thank you moodsnmoments!
Dear Jenna, Hi, the photos are vibrant with color, and your writing, “Beams Of Light”. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading !
Great work!
Thank you!
Great photos and lovely verse. Just before discovering this post on FP, I was discussing how robotically we relate to each other in (American) cloned convenience stores, across wide formica counters, etc. And then I click to find a warmer, more interesting way. Thank you and Shalom. Beth
Thank you for this comment and for enjoying my post. I like how you chose the word robotically and I can’t help but I agree.
Your photo of the woman sitting on the soda bottle cases is wonderful. I particularly like the contrast between the wall, her and the interior of the shop. I spent a month in Katmandu, and really enjoyed it. My wife had an artist residency with one of the paper making factories. We went to work almost everyday via public transportation.
I am sure you loved it as much as I did. It was such a dream, and I certainly was not ready to leave. Thanks for coming by !
These are great images! Emotions are captured here! I am into photography as well 🙂 Cheers! Suzette
Thank you! I will have to check out your photographs as well. 🙂
Very nice photographs, I love Nepal!
Nepal and India – as I can see from your picture. I can’t decide which I like more 🙂 So it is a tie!
I have never been to Nepal. With this nice blog and beautiful and color digital photos, perhaps I should!
Nepal is wonderfully inspiring. I have only just begun to post pictures and stories, so come back again soon 🙂 Thank you!
I can’t wait to see more from you! http://www.segmation.wordpress.com
Gorgeous pictures, certainly worthy of National Geographic! I wonder, however, what effect our tendency to assume, that these women lead simple but happy lives, has on our global responsibility to ensure equity across the planet. I’m not saying that these women are not happy and they could be wealthy in their communities (nor am I suggesting that you are guilty of this), but I see all too often “exotic peoples” stereotyped as being poor but happy. I worry that this might lead passivity in the face of inequality. What do you think? (a point for discussion)
Thank you for your compliment and for taking the time to write such a thoughtful message. I do know what you are saying regarding making the assumption that people that live simply are happy. My experience with Nepal was powerful and inspiring. I worked with women who were victims of sex trafficking and they were the most incredible women I have ever met. If you read my previous posts, I talk about what I expected them to be, and what they really were. Very moving indeed. They have suffered atrocities that neither you or I could ever fathom, but they are courageous, forward thinking and insightful with regards to their suffering. They subscribe to the belief that suffering is universal and that they are just part of that universal bond that links humanity together. They find solace in working hard to make a future for themselves and also helping others. They had just recently made a quilt for women prisoners in Africa and were inspired by how moved the women were when they received it. This nation is predominately Buddhist. The Buddha taught compassion, kindness and altruism as the key to live a happy life. The people of Nepal illustrate that ideal in more ways then I could ever imagine. If you stay tuned you will see more postings about Nepal and perhaps you will see it is not a stereotype at all. Thank you so much for stopping by and for participating in this discussion!
Thank you for sharing this post. Nepal is beautiful and its people are beautiful and peaceful.
Well done on your Freshly Pressed…I love when blogs that I follow and adore are appreciated too! Keep up the great work 🙂 Lakshmi x
Thank you so much Lakshmi! You are so wonderful to say so. xoxo Jenna
I absolutely love this! And congrats on being Freshly Pressed! 🙂 The joy is evident on these ladies’ faces. They’re beautiful. Something tells me their stories speak volumes.
Beautiful pictures and poetry. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
I love these pictures and you captioned them so beautifully!
So beautiful – You can really feel their happiness in these shots. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Reblogged this on Artistic Anarchy.
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
stunning photos
Really great photos and awesome poetry to accompany them. Nice!
Wonderful photos
Fantastic and so beautiful! Thank you.
So little they have,but so much compared to us….those happy smiles
Of course they are happy with that, they did not get the media brainwash.
Exactly! 🙂
hope you had a wonderful time in Nepal!
Just gorgeous. Both the photographs and the writing.
So refreshing to have beautiful poems to accompany such amazing pictures. Were you able to share the poems with the women too?
Honest smiles. Good hearts. Photographs full of warmth.
wonderful photos!
Thank you for sharing this! Definitely a good start to my day! 🙂
amazing, thanks.
This is truly amazing and even inspiring !
Great! I wish to go there too!
Jenna…. i stopped by and, again, i’m moved. You write so beautifully! My favorite part is “As if newly in love or awake in a dream..” Keep it up my love!
Thank you!
So beautiful and so sweet 🙂
http://utruthkn.wordpress.com
Such a humbling set of photographs. Beautiful, truly.
Very nice. Launched me into a daydream of stumbling out of a busted up truck, buying a cold drink and having some sort of a conversation with this woman, even though I dont speak the language. I could sketch my through our differences..
everything about this.
i love it.
I don’t even know which one I like better – the photos or the poems… GREAT POST!
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http://acatastrophewaitress.wordpress.com/
Beautiful pictures and poems. The smiles are of these women are so heart warming. Nepal is always remembered fondly in my heart.
Nepal is on e of my favorite places in the entire world. Lovely images and poetry. Congrats on being freshly pressed. It brought me to your site. Happy that it did. Thanks
Simply lovely. Nepal is on my “must see” list. You’ve just proved to me even more why.
Your are absolutely right. That genuine smile and happiness made me feel happy too. I’m sure that mus be the case for all viewers.
Lovely words connected so beautifully to the visuals!
Such beautiful tributes! I am smitten by your words.
Lovely post. Congrats on your Fresh Press!
I absolutely love this. Beautifully said,
Amazing experience! Thanks for sharing…
Great images and congrats on being Freshly Pressed! My favorite image is the seamstress — I love the brightly colored, patterned fabric behind her and her colorful clothing.
Your words resonate with such elegance and intricacy. Thank you for your truth that you spoke over these women! “Ageless grace”- wonderful. “The stars bathe in you”-profound.
Such powerful images, love them!
Reblogged this on showyourspine.
Beautiful women. These shots tell magnificent stories. Kudos!
Reblogged this on Woman of the Earth.
very happy photos. Love all those colorful fabrics
Thanks for posting this. keep posting.
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May I simply just say what a comfort to find a person that
truly knows what they’re discussing on the web. You certainly realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people need to check this out and understand this side of the story. I can’t believe you aren’t more popular since you surely have the gift.
love the photos, make you feel happy, brightened my day.
Reblogged this on Visions In My Mind and commented:
great photos which capture the humanity of these ladies
Aww I love old people and the grand ma in the first picture forced me to comment 🙂 She is beautiful 🙂 I have never been to your country but I guess You people are love 🙂
Feel the happiness
Reblogged this on Xpatia and commented:
Nepal and the happy shop ladies
Dear Jenna, after spending a whole day planning a trip to Nepal I found your beautifully inspiring blog. Thanks a lot, it vibrates with positive energy! 🙂 May I ask you who have you worked for? I’m looking for an ngo volunteering/job opportunity in Kathmandu and I’ve already worked with women in South Asia, so you might have a good advice for me…