(Canna indica – grows wild by the roadside everywhere in Sakleshpur)

What’s been good?

It’s healthy to ask this of oneself – what’s been good? Not with the aim to overlook or deny what’s not been good or run away from it. Simply to acknowledge the things that have felt and still feel positive, no matter how tiny. The good and the not-so-good coexist but the mind tends to focus and fixate on what we resist which often falls in the latter category. This is a great way to redirect the mind and train it to pick up on the good, one little thing at a time.

Here’s my list from the last few days:

• An unexpected packet of 100% Cacao powder showed up in the kitchen cupboard. The previous packet had finished. So, yay!!! This kind of a thing is a special blessing when you live at the back of the back-of-the-beyond and the nearest proper confectionery is a five-hour drive away.
• Our neighbour sent across the freshest, sweetest pineapple from their garden.
• For the last 24 hours we’ve had no electrical supply (normal) but our inverter worked beautifully, which meant we didn’t spend last evening in darkness.
• Mangoes are in season!!! Need I say more?
• The long-awaited monsoon is here. The farmers are happy and the temperature has dropped to a very comfy range.
• Our landlord was clearing up his Heliconia bed and offered us 35 root balls!
• There was a break in the rain this morning and I could squeeze a nice little walk in the coffee plantation where I saw the tiniest yellowest butterfly flitting past.
• The breeze was cool and refreshing.
• Most of the shoots of the Jade-plant that I was trying to propagate have taken root.
• Playing rummy with friends yesterday, I surprised myself by closing two hands that were utterly hopeless to start with.
• When I returned from my walk and opened the fridge, it lit up. The electricity was back.

How does this list help?

It shows us our resourcefulness in the middle of chaos. Helpful and friendly neighbours, ability to enjoy food and be creative, prioritise physical health, ability to feel relaxed and connected with nature, be joyful and have a sense of achievement – all the things that we can easily take for granted.

So, what’s been good in the last week for you?