WALKING BACKWARDS

 WALKING BACKWARDS

Tulip went out for her daily stroll around the neighbourhood the other day; but, this time she did it differently. She walked backwards. Sometimes going back in time can help us move forward better.

The idea came to her as she had just finished reading the chapter entitled People of the Seventh Fire. The entire book, Braiding SweetGrass, is full of extended thinking about how the world (the Earth) got to this point. Extended thinking or walking backwards for that matter, isn’t something everyone does. It’s difficult or too time consuming so many just walk on or run to the next post — faster than water flowing from a broken dam. They don’t seem to give a dam!

Tulip has “given a dam” about a lot of anomalies throughout her lifetime. She questions a lot. She shuns the “that’s the way it is” attitudes and tries to find sense in senseless decision making. 

The book in front of her is the first time she is faced with a mirror in which she sees a reflection of her mind on paper. Reading the chapters, and there are many, brings flashbacks of the shake and bake commercials where the actor quickly shakes the drumstick so the viewer doesn’t really see what’s being coated. 

“Hold on! Rewind! What’s under the coating?”

Braiding Sweetgrass is a unique “look again” book that might cause the readers to start the car and speed away, or it might cause the readers to lift their head from the sand, clear the gloss from their eyes, and step backwards in time to discover stuff, important stuff that has been bypassed or left behind. 

The world is in a rut. Too many beats have been skipped or dismissed. There’s been too much tipping over and tripping over two feet. People need to stop barreling forward along the same damaging trajectory. 

Mountains are falling. Fires are burning. Rivers are overflowing their banks. Animals are becoming extinct. Food no longer tastes like food. Chemicals are making people sick or killing them. Nature is disappearing. Climate change. Greed and competition have been given the lead. Avarice needs to stop.

Tulip is in position to take the backward walk. She is looking straight ahead at what was, placing one step behind the other, watching what’s behind her come forward. It becomes very much like a balancing act because if she strides too quickly, she tips or trips. It bears repeating: if she strides too quickly, she tips or trips. If she stops now and then, she regains her posture, smells the Sweetgrass (roses) and keeps moving, slowly stepping backwards but moving forward with a wealth of information that she may have ignored or overlooked. 

The exercise of walking backwards is weird and shaky. It is physical and cognitive. It’s like rewinding a visual and audio recording, and getting a different message. It clearly defines the difference between listening and hearing, and shows people take too much for granted. As such they dismiss commonsense and words of wisdom from respected and credible sources. Now’s the time to take back some control. 

For Tulip, the walking exercise is an easy pill to swallow because she is seeing things differently and hearing things differently. She is concentrating on what is and what is about to be, and thinking harder than ever, as she continues to take control by carefully placing one step behind the other. She stops suddenly to take it all in and the expression  “better late than never” bellows. Too much has been left behind. Too many questions left unanswered. Too many constructive concerns ignored. It is time to break and breathe.

Taking it all in slowly keeps her upright and steady. Her mind and body feel different: gifted, refreshed and enlightened. This morning walk, as well as that chapter and book, have given her energy (Qi) to keep moving ahead with an open mind. 

“Better late than never!”

After a few blocks of looking back while moving forward, the chapter Tulip just read, combined with all the chapters in the book, bring her to a decision making fork in the road. If people keep spinning forward as always, and if they keep striding forward too quickly, they will continue to tip and trip. What’s ahead of them will be a lot scarier, a lot more sad and definitely a lot more perplexing — if anyone is left to find out. She concludes that it would be best to not continue to ignore WISDOM and commonsense because  that road has proven to be a losing battle.

The book, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer, is a missalette of ultimate wisdom, practical experiences and long forgotten commonsense. The author is a decorated Indigenous scientist and professor. She wrote it for everyone and “for” everyone;  and, it is definitely a great read for every caring citizen of the Earth.

Collection of short stories

 

It’s been launched!

ORDERING INFO

Any bookstore can order it in for you. Just provide them with my full name: 

ANTOINETTA DEWIT

BOOK TITLE: Journaling The Journey

ISBN 9781035861798

I recommend you order from amazon.ca …they are on the ball and getting orders out quickly. Chapters/Indigo have signed on too. $14.00 CDN 

SYNOPSIS

The stories in the book follow the main character, Tulip: a dutch lady who cycles around looking for interesting people, things and experiences. You will smile, laugh, think and imagine as you travel along.

Enjoy the ride

THE BEACON IN DARKNESS

THE BEACON IN DARKNESS

TULIP sat down at a local eatery in her hometown of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada - called Humble Roots - to enjoy a delicious eggs Benny during their sixth anniversary celebration. She brought along a new library book entitled “Think You’ll Be Happy” authored by Nicole Avant.

It turns out the book is one of those helpful accounts, from a real life example, that injects light into darkness, illuminating a path of dismal, choking grief and spiraling depression and bringing forward a renewed sense of optimism about the future.  The theory sounds so logical and easy to outsiders; but, taking the first step and then stepping further is extremely difficult for grieving people at all levels, be it loss of a loved one, marriage, job, skill, culture, homeland, mobility or tragedy.

Every now and then such a person enters the door into Tulip’s life, and she willingly holds that door open, easily, determined to luminate some sense of help that at least causes the dim light of a candle to shine.

The experience has, at times, been grueling, difficult, painful, perplexing, distressing and depressing, but not so easy to run away from, because despite the sadness, stress and complexities, giving unconditionally and willingly has the power to make the meager ray of light from that dimly lit shimmering candle become at least a bit more steady.

The experience can also backfire when the grieving is embedded in stuck mode — when the person cannot see a hand, feel a hand or hold a hand, and opts to shun, shelter and spin.

Either way Tulip stands tall, and feels pride, joy and satisfaction in stepping to the plate; but, she also knows when to recede and rescind, yielding to saving herself from exhaustion, abuse and impossible odds.

Books like “Think You’ll Be Happy” go a long way in lightening the load for people who are struggling (as well as good people trying to make sense of it all) to set a path, and to restore optimism and confidence in a helping hand and even, one day, — a hug. 

[What's in a hand that makes spirits soar? What's in a hug that says so much more?

Is it comfort? Is it friendship? Is it something called love? 

It is comfort. It is friendship. It is something called love.

It's the comfort of knowing we are not alone

It's the real friendships that we continue to hone

it's the unconditional love that feels so much like home.]

RECONCILING DIFFERENCES

REFLECTING ON RECONCILIATION

From my very early days of being a child in the hamlet of North Bend, British Columbia, Canada — a small village of maybe 300 people in the 1960s, I have always felt different levels of being perplexed about the segregation of our Indigenous peoples from the rest of us, as well as being uninformed or misinformed about their traditions, customs and experiences upon the arrival of the new settlers.

It wasn’t until later in life that what I experienced and witnessed in our beloved North Bend, actually hit my conscience quite hard.  Even as a young lass I knew something wasn’t right about how we viewed, treated and talked about the indigenous people who lived on the other side of the tracks.

The mainstream attitudes carried well into my teen and young adult years when we moved to a metropolitan region of the province. Even the school textbooks accentuated the stereotype images that white man created and wanted the masses to believe. Despite it all, I still felt perplexed and felt a need within to never tow that line. 

Part of my drive to take this stand forward could have something to do with my own arrival to this country. My older brother and I came to Canada with our parents from our original homeland — The Netherlands, in the late 1950s. Almost as quickly as we got here, people who lived here counselled our parents to assimilate. This meant to leave our language, customs, and ways of life behind, and follow the way of established Canadians. Thankfully we did retain a few Dutch traditions while under our own roof. But, we just all played along publicly. It wasn’t until my late teens that I questioned that decision and set in motion a determination to correct that wrong, as have my brothers, sister and the other Dutch people we have met over the years.

In my working life on the political side of government, I experienced a wonderful awakening. I met and met with many Indigenous leaders and Indigenous people. I attended events, ate and made bannock, learned about smoking fish; but, more importantly, I learned about treaties and treatment, promises and broken promises. 

During those years I learned about genuine efforts to acknowledge wrongs, and witnessed the baby steps taken to show an effort to reverse or change discriminatory programs, policies and practices.  

As sincere as those efforts may have been, they could only be effective if they were supported with actions.  Sadly all too often, although the new path to moving us forward as educated, informed and responsible public servants in a democratic society should have worked, the original enthusiasm wavered and fell flat. I could go on and on as to why that happened, but I think that answer is obvious.  

So now, I am in my 60s and I continue to be on side with the ongoing reconciliation movement. I quietly put together a short story in which I present but one example of a co-produced project that demonstrates working together to inform, educate and appreciate the effectiveness of problem solving.  The story is called “Can You See Me Now?”  and it can be found on my blog.

I am also in the middle of reading Jody Wilson-Raybould’s newest book entitled True Reconciliation - how to be a force for change.” Her personal upbringing taught her to live in two worlds and to this day she strives to bring those two worlds together in order to effect change to the status quo. She has worked hard throughout her lifetime, has had some successes and some knocks, but despite the ongoing challenges, she stands tall and determined to keep trying. 

Her book is written in simple language and reads like a discussion; by the end, the reader can sit back and hopefully say something like “okay, this makes a lot of sense; how can I help?”  

True Reconciliation would be an excellent book for Book Club people and would bring out open and honest discussion at the very least. I also hope it will encourage more non-indigenous and Indigenous people to step harmoniously into the reconciliation journey. Leaving it in the hands of politicians hasn’t helped much; many of them mean well, but carrying good ideas forward needs more widespread support and efforts. 

As the author says: the three pillars to change are To Learn, To Understand and To Act —we all have a part to play and I feel confident that by following that sequence, we will get there in my lifetime!

[my blog is antoinettadewit.blogspot.com ] 

Run Towards The Danger: Book Review

 Run Towards The Danger

Written by Sarah Polley

This Canadian authored book is amazing! Basically she unravels a lot of her anger and anxiety about life experiences during her youth as a child actor and later as an adult experiencing a mystery condition. 

Sarah Polley tells those of us who remember The Road to Avonlea as a most delightful family television show on CBC, that the stories were delightful; but, getting them to the release stage for all of us to enjoy, was HELL for her. She talks about some of the behind the scenes mismanagement, disorganization, and lack of communication, on top of the pressures of some parents pushing their own anticipated glory ahead of the thoughts, concerns and feelings of the children. 

From the tv screen, she went to the stage at Stratford where she experienced personal challenges with anxiety and a lack of self confidence leading to ultimate stage fright. She desperately tried to hide those challenges to the point of getting very sick. It, too, became HELL for her and she had to stop prematurely.

She later found joy and personal satisfaction in film making and discovered her comfort level was being behind the scenes.

Later in the book she talks about her direct experience with a guy named Gian Ghomeshi — a name in the news during a terrible time in the lives of other women who had a similar story to tell. It is a moving and very emotional account of ‘should I or shouldn’t I” and her decision to do what she did, when she did.

The other of her six essays I want to highlight is the last one entitled “Run Towards The Danger”.  It is about the horrors of getting a concussion.  Initially she thought nothing of it, until she became an almost completely different person. She felt mixed up and messed up at the same time. Went to various specialists, many contradicting the others, all giving her conflicting advice, until one day, she was in the right place at the right time, and someone with a similar experience, guided her to a potential solution. The results were life changing and life enhancing, bringing her to a point she never imagined to ever be. She finds her spirit and embraces her being.  The best way to explain it is by saying don’t live backwards, live forwards.

I really enjoyed this book. It took blunt honesty to pull her from dark waters and a gloomy attitude, to get her to her happy place.  We can all learn a lot from her journey from Avonlea to blissful glee!

GOING THERE by KATIE COURIC

 Getting There

My family and friends know I am not an avid reader; in fact, of all the things on the list of things I can do, the last on the list is reading.

But, I am “getting there”! 

Every once in a while I spot a book that just might draw me in. I enjoy human interest pieces, biographies and autographies of people known to me directly or indirectly, and right now I am truly enjoying the recently published book entitled GOING THERE by Katie Couric.

She’s an American news journalist who started in the girl Friday role at a small town station and worked her way up to top ranking CNN, NBC and ABC roles. She grew up with encouragement and support from a loving family and great friends. She had an early vision of striving to succeed in media and to dispel the notion that women can only do the make-up, diet and fashion segments of a news program. She stood up to the status quo in the profession and in her personal life, and offered alternatives — winging it, screwing up now and then, but succeeding full speed ahead thereafter. 

This book opens up who she was and who she is, and how she got there. It is blunt. It is personal. It is successfully retaining my attention, and I highly recommend it for your seasonal gift list!