The Power of “I Will”

I think it’s best to begin with a “Wow, it has been far too long since your friendly Dighu blog has been updated”! Isn’t it amazing how quickly life can get in the way of certain undertakings we’ve made? Before we know it, days, weeks, or months have gone by, and our list of “to do’s” or “to have done’s” is sky high. Well, perhaps not all of us are that way, but some personalities certainly tend towards it.

Heaven knows, about this time of the year, eagerly made New Years Resolutions have fallen by the wayside, and the ongoing wintery chill wears away at our positivity and our determination. It’s tempting to forget the power of intentionality, as we resign ourselves to the hum drum reality of “our life”.

Dr. Becky Bailey, the founder of a program called Conscious Discipline, is an expert on developmental psychology and emphasizes the importance of choosing to both think and state “I will” or “I’m going to”, rather than “I have to” or “I hope to”. Not only does this switch invite our mentality and intention to a more positive and productive way of thinking, but Dr. Bailey also emphasizes that this elevates our thinking to the highest, executive cognitive functioning, in the frontal lobe of our brain. Here we engage our rationality, our logic, and our decision making skills. In this decision we consciously engage our brains in a way that we are enabled to choose to overcome our emotions (which right now may look something like the February blues), while we proactively commit to something that will make us more alive.

So, on this February day,  I would invite each and every one of you to commit, or at least consider committing to consciously use “I WILL” in your thoughts and your words. You may be surprised at much it helps you to accomplish your undertakings or goals, and perhaps even, to seek out your dreams.

And what an encouraging thought that is! :D

-Eve

It’s a Beautiful Life

Respect. Awe. Intoxication. Reverence. Admiration. Courage.

The other day, as I ran a long the three mile stretch of a beautiful beach here in Grenada, I witnessed the most touching reflection of love and reverence between two individuals.

It’s customary amongst the local Grenadians to sit on the beach and exfoliate their skin with the wet sand. As the water is so still and the waves are so gentle, individuals are able to sit on the beach and allow their bodies to be slightly submerged; enjoying the pleasant warmth of the water while they scrub their skin until it is smooth and soft. Though I’ve seen many exfoliating routines performed along the beach in my four months in Grenada, my heart was so touched as I passed by an elderly gentleman cradled in the arms of his son as the son gently massaged his father’s arms and back with sand. The beach was quiet, and they sat together in silence as the son slowly and gently splashed water on his father’s back to rinse and clean him. Wearing a shower cap and raggedy shorts, the old man appeared frail but looked as if he too was once broad and strong like his son. So intimately wrapped up in his son’s arms there was no sign of shame for his weakness and fragility. Rather, he looked peacefully content to be so cherished and cared for by the son he must have once cradled in his own arms. In this image of life before me I saw no weakness. All I could see was gentle strength, and it filled me with absolute awe.

This scene led me to dwell on the fact that in our fast paced North American reality, reverence and respect for the elderly, for the sick, and for those human beings whose life deserves as much or even more cherishing than our own, is often overlooked. Our awe at the gift of the human person in front of us is taken over by a frantic need to continue going about our business. I can’t tell you how surprised I was to hear that my sister, who throughout the entire nine months of her pregnancy took public transit to and from her master’s program classes, was rarely offered a seat by another considerate passenger. Even at nine months pregnant she was forced to stand for the hour long transit because individuals were too blindly busy to notice the beautiful image of human life standing so patiently and uncomfortably before them.

While each of us faces trial and tribulation throughout our lives, I find it tragic that we should be so focused on ourselves that we ever lose our awe for and intoxication with the human life around us. It is after all, a Beautiful Life, and we should seek those opportunities to convey our gratitude, respect, and awe for those beautiful lives in our own life.

Here’s to celebrating the beautiful lives around us, cherishing each moment, and seeking each opportunity to love!

Happy Halloween!! We hope you have a fun day with those you love and enjoy all of the happy (and perhaps scary) faces around you!

-Eve and Team Dighu

Making Peace with Instability – A Good Idea…?

We are so thrilled to feature another beautiful written blog by guest blogger Angela! Though written a little while ago, this blog post is so applicable to events occurring in our world today, such as terrorist actions in the middle east, continued unrest in the Ukraine, celebrity victims of hacking and theft, the death of Robin Williams, and of course the unique and personal difficulty and struggle we all face with our own instability. Being peaceful in the face of instability is not an easy thing, but Angela has so much wisdom to share on this topic. Read and enjoy. :D

What an incredible gift it was to have six whole days of a silent retreat with fifteen other women – a gift and a privilege indeed! How blessed I am to have a husband and family who support me so unconditionally in living this once a year (at least for three days, not usually six :D) for the past 20 years. Likely they’ve seen the pattern that I arrive home with more patience, more ability to be generous in love and care towards my family and others and greater overall stability as a human being…so going along with the plan isn’t too onerous a “yes”.

So, if arriving home from a retreat helps me to be more stable, why am I asking about making peace with instability? The day I travelled home last week was the day a commercial jetliner was tragically, horrifically shot down over the Ukraine killing all 298 people on board. Is there really any reason to make peace with such an act of terrorism?

 The simple answer is “no” though the reality is, as we grow into our adult selves, hopefully with increasing maturity and self-mastery, we must all learn to cope with the ups and downs and upheavals of life. For some who have a gift of flexibility and an inclination to love change and innovation, it isn’t so hard. For many, the need for order and the desire to be in control of our day to day existence is strong such that learning to accept life as it happens can be a constant challenge or even battle.

After being together for six days without conversing, the group of women I was with each had a chance to share their key lights or insights. For fully half of the women, they described being grateful for an increased awareness, acceptance and even appreciation for how real life is far less tidy, stable or even predictable than we would like it to be. Making peace with this interiorly is a big step so that we can help those around us to not completely lose their peace and calm in times of upheaval or trial.

Is peace really all that important when things are in a mess and much less stable than we would choose?

As a mother of a large and growing family, I will say that if I, as heart of the family, lose my peace, the whole family is affected negatively and a downward ugly spiral ensues very quickly.

 So, yes, it really is important for me to ride out the messy adventure of life with a sense of humour and a willing ability to take it all in a stride. The whole “keep calm and carry on” movement has been so popular because there really is something to the idea. Even or perhaps especially when my interior self is rebelling and is urging me to throw a temper tantrum because of something happening which is outside my plans or comfort zone is it a good idea for me to remind myself it is all part of the great though at times terribly unpredictable adventure of being human.

Being a person of peace and calm when the world is in a state of upheaval and instability sounds to me like a good, noble and desirable idea…what do you think?

Oh Happy Day!

Happiness.

  It is written in our hearts.  We long for it, we commonly work towards it, and we ask ourselves and each other, “Are you happy?”, “How can you be happier?”. We live in a fast paced world that is “going, going, going”, with many of us believing that the more we accomplish, and the more we have, the happier we are going to be.

And yet, as David Steindl-Rast states in this TED talk, “many people would say, oh it’s easy; if you are happy, you are grateful.” But, he asks us to think again.

“Is it really the happy people that are grateful? We all know quite a number of people who have everything it would take to be happy, but they are not happy…and we all know people who have lots of misfortune…and they are deeply happy, they radiate happiness. Why? Because they are grateful. It is not happiness that makes us grateful, it is gratefulness that makes us happy.”

This was profoundly striking to me, because I’ve found it deeply applicable to my reality, as I know it must be to many who hear his talk. Ultimately he conveys the message that “the more grateful people there are, the more we will have a joyful world.” How simple, how obvious, and yet, how profound. Gratitude. It begets Happiness.

Thus this begs the question, what will it take for us to become more grateful? As your Dighu blogger, I’m compelled to be vulnerable and share something I’ve really discovered about myself recently. I feel that it goes hand-in-hand with his point, and is truly invaluable if we want to be more grateful, and thus more happy. 

Comparison. I compare myself to others too much.

While it is absolutely important for us to admire and learn from the example of the heroic, kind, and good souls around us, I’ve found that more than anything, comparing ourselves and our situation to others can absolutely poison our gratitude and thus our happiness. Often it leads to jealousy, which is truly the opposite of gratitude. One can have a life filled with the most beautiful gifts, but as soon as we begin to insecurely dwell on what others have (or appear to have), and what we don’t, an unfulfilled and unhappy life will be waiting around the bend for us.

As I’ve begun to really discover how much I compare myself to others, I’m beginning to notice when I’m doing it, and in turn, try to banish these thoughts. I’d invite you to join me if you’d like. :D If you find yourself comparing your reality to others and falling into an ungrateful mindset, I would encourage you to introduce an antidote or “elixir” as we like to call it here at Dighu, by countering one negative comparison with a thought or expression of gratitude. As a very silly example, I confess that I have found myself thinking bitterly, “Oh, those people are so lucky to have a washing machine and a dryer in their apartment when I have to walk a ways to the washing machine, and then hang all of our clothes to dry on a clothes line. ” If I were to catch myself thinking that, I could counter it with the thought, “But we live just up the hill from one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in Grenada, while most other people have to drive to get to this beach. I’m so lucky that I can go jump into the beautiful clear ocean any time I want.” 

See. I’m already feeling happier thinking about that.

:D

Give it a try, it really works!! Maybe in time it will even become a habit. At least, I certainly hope it will!

I hope you all have a grateful and happy Friday! 

Be Human, Be GRATEFUL, Be Kind, Be HAPPY

“Bless”

Sitting here in  our very orange and very warm kitchen on the Caribbean island of Grenada, I begin the first of many Dighu blog posts to be written on this colourful island. Though we’re excited to recruit more guest bloggers (if you’re interested in submitting inspirational and uplifting blogs for us to post, please comment below!), I will continue to be your faithful blogger from my newly married life in Grenada.

:D

The photo above conveys the bright colours of this tropical isle, and for someone from North America, it feels almost like sensory overload –but in a very good way! Each new building or wall is a different bright colour, one lime green, the next grapefruit pink, the following creamsicle orange. I could go on and on. So much vibrancy!

It’s so clearly evident that the colourful reality of this beautiful island conveys the taste, personality, and culture of the people of this country, and after interacting with so many strangers that I’ve passed along the way, I must say that the colourful scenery suits the culture perfectly.

One of the little idiosyncrasy’s of the Grenadian language (which is really the most foreign sounding English one could possibly imagine) is to use the word “Bless” when saying goodbye. It is probably one of my favorite things about this place so far, and brings such a big smile to my face when I receive it in passing. Rather than the typical “see ya later”, many Grenadians smile and with a casually gentle fist bump, signifying the relaxed pace of island time, say with a smile, “Bless”. It’s such a kindhearted word to remark, and the friendliness in their eyes when saying it makes the already-kind word feel like the sweetest thing a person has ever said to you.

“Bless.”

I feel quite strongly that we would do ourselves and others a favor if we tried to live with the colour and kindness that I have observed on this little island. So accustomed to our fast paced realities, we would never dare to stop a stranger on the street to inquire about them and engage in happy conversation. Most often, we might not even notice the strangers around us, let alone talk to them and warmly wish them blessings as we go our separate ways. Though it might sound strange to those around us if we start using “bless” in our vocabularies, I can’t help but feel that they might not mind so much. And yet, it’s not the word itself that matters, but the intention behind it. Whatever language we speak, or quirks and idiosyncracies we find in ourselves, it might be a more happy and fulfilled world if we try to bring some colourful vibrancy to those around us.

And so, I conclude with a smile and a simple little Caribbean saying,

Bless :D

Eve

What is “Greatness” Anyway?

Again, the Dighu blog welcomes guest writer, Angela Christianson! Eager to complete her thoughts from her previous post, she shares some of her beautiful inspiration with us.

Last month brought an exhilarating moment of my first ever Dighu blog (though in reality I had contributed to many :D) and with it, a feeling of responsibility and eagerness for an effective message. Since that “magnanimity” blog was published, there was something nagging at me in a deep place. Only today did it come clear what the unsettledness is about.

 Can we explore it together…?

         My concern (in question form): by describing magnanimity as a “quest for greatness”, are there tender, timid, “little” people who instantly conclude it is not for them? Truth is, if it were me reading such an expression written by someone else, especially if I am tired or feeling insecure, it would strike in my being a pang of sadness or even fear. There would be a longing for the courage or confidence to make such a choice. This would be accompanied by the thought that only someone great can pursue greatness….and that just isn’t me!

       These thoughts harken me to something I have discussed with our children and others in different ways many times over the years. The essence of it is that “star-gazing” can be life giving or life diminishing. We can look to the vast and great beauty of the heavens or to the shining attractiveness of those who have great talent in our world and feel inadequate and ashamed or we can be touched by the grace and loveliness before us and inspired and strengthened for our life-journey and mission.

       It boils down to perspective. If I spend time and energy comparing myself to other people or things, I will ultimately find either them lacking or me lacking. If instead, I allow myself to be increased and encouraged by the goodness and great examples of others, the world will automatically and even necessarily (since good can’t but beget good!) be a better place.

So to the question, “what is greatness?”

       Rather than being about how big, accomplished or far away and unreachable something or someone is, I think of greatness as being relative to design and purpose. As humans, we are created by Love and for love and thus our greatness depends much more on our being aware and available to fulfill our mission to bring love and meaning to the lives of those around us rather than on our size, our physical or intellectual endowments or our worldly accomplishments.

      We can go about spreading love in very ordinary and unremarkable ways and still be great and we can do this in big and note-worthy ways and be great too though not necessarily any more so.

     Let’s ask ourselves “am I choosing to generously love today?” And if the answer is “yes”, truly, we are already doing great things. We only need to continue in that direction and before we know it, we will have moments when we are bigger and braver than we ever dreamed or hoped we could be. Our simple great acts will grow and grow until great heartedness becomes a way of being and the art of loving will permeate every aspect of our lives.

     How GREAT is THAT…!? Try it and discover the thrilling adventure of growing into greatness!!

Some Words Speak Loudly…

The Dighu blog welcomes a new guest writer, Angela Christianson! Mother of six, grandmother of two, wife of thirty years, Dighu cofounder and current Dighu president, she has a powerful message to share with us today. Enjoy!

Have you ever experienced a single word speaking volumes to your being without even making a sound? A word with mysterious or even mystical qualities that explodes with meaning as you open your mind and heart to it…?

And if you have, did you let it happen?

MAGNANIMITY is one of those words for me. When I first noticed it more than 15 years ago it stopped me in my tracks – I couldn’t allow myself to hurry by. It speaks to a quest for greatness that goes way beyond the average run-of-the-mill hunger for power or control, fame or fortune. Really, as I have discovered, it is about great heartedness; about being capable of embracing all of life and of growing and growing even as we shrink with age, staying young at heart forever and especially of bringing the world-in-need along such a path of adventure.

Instead of arriving home from work as an ugly toad our big hearted son-in-law becomes a handsome prince for his family

Hmmm – sounds delightful! How DO I get me some of that???

So glad you asked! Nothing like a big question to give rise to something wonderful :D!

Truth is, more than anything, discovering and growing into such a vast life construct as MAGNANIMITY is a process, an approach to life. It is about being prepared to ask questions even if we’re not sure they’re smart ones. It’s about going through the world with our eyes and hearts wide open, ready and even eager to learn, to discover and to share. Being hopeful for the future, dreaming of doing great things, not as a craving for one’s own honor and glory, rather as a desire for the good of others. It’s about getting to know our unique talents and living these with humble confidence for the sake of all.

Our brand new son-in-law living magnanimity joyously while on medical missions

In the end, MAGNANIMITY is about living the ART of LOVING as the one great life work– living a life story that grows and grows and never ends…

Words with mysterious and mystical meaning – is there REALLY such thing? In my world, absolutely there is! But don’t feel you have to take my word for it; try it out…let it happen and discover how alive you are!!!

 

 

 

Ohh Mondays

 Everyone I’ve spoken to today is cheerful, though a little weary, and with each, my immediate response has been something along the lines of yes, I’m tired too, and “Ohh Mondays.”

And yet, here we are in Calgary, with the sun shining down on us on this “weary” Monday, with the gift of employment and work to be passionate about, with dear family and friends to go home to at night, with plans and dreams for our days, weeks, months, and years; we are so spoilt, and so blessed.

I realized how selfishly pessimistic my perspective on Mondays is when I saw this article titled “Portraits of Reconciliation“. Boy did it set me straight! This assortment of photos brings to life the reconciliation between perpetrators and victims of the Rwandan genocide. Men and women whose families or friends were murdered before their eyes have forgiven the very individuals who committed the murders. Talk about strength, selflessness, and love. The people of Rwanda have suffered so much, and yet in their healing, they have learned to ask for forgiveness and to forgive.

So, on this happy, sunny Monday, as I so easily take for granted the innumerable gifts in my life, I’ve been set very straight and come to realize that perhaps my Mondays aren’t so bad after all!

A Truly Embodied Out-of-Body Experience

When using the term “out-of-body” experience, this implies an “experience that typically involves a sensation of floating, outside one’s body, and in some cases, perceiving one’ s physical body from a place outside of one’s body”…or at least this is how wikipedia defines it. While this is in fact an accurate definition, I’m going to have to stray away from the common understanding of the term, and I humbly ask you to bear with me.
:D

The reason for my strange attempt to twist the meaning of this phrase was inspired by this video, “Duct Tape Surfing”. I watched it, and was so struck by this woman’s beautiful approach to life, and her positive perspective on the condition that has changed her life forever. As a paraplegic, Pascale Honor’ s dreams of surfing were crushed by an accident years ago. Now, with the help of her sons’ young friend Tyron Swan, her reality has been transformed and her dream continues…with just a little bit of duct tape. Strapping her onto his back with tape, Tyron has essentially embraced the reality of her becoming one with his surfing experience, giving her a gift that means the world to her, and in a particular manner, giving her back her legs.

In a complex sense, it struck me that through her surfing, Pascale lives an almost out-of-body experience in the most physically present, embodied sense. Perhaps that is just my crazy mind working in it’s typically irregular way, but isn’t that absolutely profound?!

As humans we are created as embodied beings, asked to embrace every day and to use the gift of our body to bring to life the innermost part of our being. In this video, Pascale does this, and Tyron invites her to do so by enabling her to become one with his surfing existence. While it isn’t her legs that are maneuvering the board as it glides along the way, in a way it is her legs… out-of-body in the most embodied sense. Pascale’s very soul comes to life as you watch her, strapped onto Tyron’s back, smiling from ear to ear. Her joy shines through her smile, and the delight of her heart is written across her face, and even her entire body.

To put it simply, this story inspired me to no end. It was a reminder for me that as individuals, our very presence speaks to people. Our body-language says more than words often can, and an intense gaze or some openly friendly eyes immediately establish a dynamic between oneself and others. Our bodies can break down walls between ourselves and others before words are even spoken. We have the gift to reach out, to touch, to look, to run, to leap, to throw our heads back and laugh…to engage in life, to engage with others, to “personify” the expressions of our heart, our convictions, and our opinions. We express ourselves first and foremost physically, through our bodies. We are created to live every moment as an embodied experience…and to Truly live it. Others encounter of us begins first and foremost with our bodies, and while our reality is much less of an extreme than Pascale’s, like Tyron and Pascale, in a wonderfully reciprocal sense, we can enable a more completely alive reality for those around us, and likewise, we can be brought to a more embodied experience of life by others as well.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and have a wonderfully embodied day! :D

-Eve

Dighu Blog is Moving to Tumblir…Come Join the New Dighu Adventure!

We have some exciting news, and we’re eager to share it with all of our dighublog followers. Dighu is embarking on quite an adventure, and hand-in-hand with this adventure is a bit of a makeover.
Cue the trumpets, “Duh, duh, duh, duhhhh”, meet the Dighu Tumblr. Here’s out newest blog post:

http://digitalhumanityinc.tumblr.com/post/79897362539/time-is-of-the-essence-last-week-as-a-group-of

We will now be posting all of our blogs on the Digital Humanity tumblr, as well as inspiring quotes, photos, videos, and news on a daily basis. We’re thrilled about this change, because tumblr works as an essentially an all-encompassing social media platform, and will combine a stream of all of our facebook, twitter, and blog posts. Right now, we’ve named it the “digitalhumanityinc” tumblr, but soon the good ol’ http://www.dighublog.com will lead you straight to our tumblr page.

Stick with us! We promise, you won’t regret it!
:D