Bridges, Changes, and River Crossings
I took myself out for a quick walk in the snow this morning. I deliberately put on my Gratitude glasses (thanks to my friend IJ) and on this, Friday May 17, start of the long weekend, I noted that the river is rising, and the season is changing in a rather circular fashion. I took myself across both of Banff’s bridges while musing on the thought: “… when we commit to a vision to do something that has never been done before, there is no way to know how to get there. We simply have to build the bridge as we walk on it.”
Grassroots Gratitude has a vision related to influencing an uptick in confidence, positivity and optimism in the hearts and minds of all Canadians. As you are reading this, I would like you, dear reader, to see yourself as part of this bridge building exercise in one way or another. There are ironies and contradictions in this story. Writing is individual. And the ask is that we move forward as a collective. COVID has made us acutely aware of our reasons to distance ourselves and hunker down in our silos. At the same time we are social beings and will shrivel and languish if we don’t laugh and hug and play with our friends and family. And with time and attention, and significant intentional effort, I am certain we can lean on gratitude as the bridge that binds all of us to each other — during our change challenges, our realties, living with paradox and our idiosyncracy, while also living in relationship.
I am convinced that by writing longhand, finding your personal reasons to be grateful and vy using those reasons as your personal motivation, you will be building and walking across your personal bridges of change and wayfinding. You will also be growing in your sense of confidence and sense of personal agency, something that I consider is essential for ground-truthing anything that doesn’t quite ring true, for you.
What does agency mean? Agency brings a sense of control that you realize that you have the capacity to control and influence your own thoughts and behaviours. A growing sense of agency gives you the confidence that you have the ability to handle the challenge you face. With an increased sense of agency, you can walk, run, lead yourself throughout the seasons of life, building the bridges as you go, navigating the choices and options you face. You can build trust in your personal leadership style. N.B. Wayfinding and ground-truthing. Neither word, hyphenated or compounded, is in the dictionary. If you understand their meaning in the world of bridges and not knowing exactly how to get there, you know what I am talking about!
Gratitude has a ripple effect that connects your private thoughts which are interior, to your public words and actions which are exterior. Thoughts become words and actions and your realities in real life often boomerang you backwards and forwards. Sometimes the effects are predictable, sometimes ridiculous, and sometimes the effects eddy in circles, stagnating and waiting.
The science abounds. Gratitude is a relational, social, complex thing that begins in one place and spreads from there. Like a slow-moving meandering river that becomes a raging torrent, gratitude is an influential shaper across time, sculpting the landscapes of our lives and relationships.
Two books. Two workshops. Too much passion, too many emotions and too many ideas and the humility to know that I cannot do this alone.
Every day: 1. Take time to write. 2. Say hello and acknowledge the challenge. 3. Make lists of your MIT’s – your things that really matter 4. Build bridges to the future.
Building bridges that lead to a kinder, more caring future is about increasing our quotients of trust, hope, and optimism. As you can hear in the Explore84Podcast, I explain that Grassroots Gratitude is choosing to paddle upstream, against the current narratives of fear and anxiety and negativity.
Towards the end of the interview, Mark Kondrat acknowledges that there is a lot of fear mongering in the world and asks me, “How can you compete against that sort of world that we live in?” There is a long pause as my mind races and I avoid saying, “I don’t know.”
Instead, I replied, “Stick to your knitting.”
Mixing metaphors is something that I practice regularly. What? Knitting? What am I talking about?
By committing to read and write and communicate with an insistence to be consistently aligned with hope, positivity and possibility, we can stitch ourselves into a story that is kind, caring, aspirational, and inspirational.
But, let’s be wide-eyed and clear: Science also supports the fact that we need negativity. We need to make mistakes and accept our foibles in order to realize our humanity. For optimal wellbeing and flourishing, there is evidence to support a life ratio of 3 Positives to 1 Negative. Anyone who has ever picked up a pen in honesty knows that the voices of negativity and nagging are close to the surface.
However, with intentional thinking and a commitment to stick to our knitting, we can continue to align our mental, physical, spiritual and intellectual efforts in the direction of glimmers. Look for the bright spots. Avoid the trigger. Write about your big things that matter, your Most Important Things, aka your MIT’s.
With profound gratitude for the transformative power of gratitude, here’s a wave to you and your knitting project. As you stand on/under/search for your next bridge, I encourage you to keep going. With confidence, creativity, curiousity and clarity of purpose, guided by the good stuff.
It is spring time in the Rockies and and river waters are rising. Happily, like the river, emotions ebb and flow and we can assume that every season brings change and challenge. By committing to taking time to pay attention, by processing and honouring the flow of emotions, we can keep exploring options, working to become better leaders, guides, and navigators.
Thanks to all of the people who are helping me stay committed to the journey… May 17 2024 Grassroots Gratitudes Shout-outs to:
- Matthew Widmer – our son who has been patiently working with me to get pithier, say less and build bridges for Grassroots Gratitude to grow. Posters are here and my key messages are: 1. Gratitude inspires change. 2. Writing in a journal is beneficial 3. A slow moving pen is powerful in times of change and transition
- Mark Kondrat, of Explore84 Studio. Take a listen Explore84Podcast and let me know what you think!
- Michelle Schira-Hagerman (Faculty of Education, Université d’Ottawa | University of Ottawa) and my dear friend Beverley Biggar who are offering informed and sage advice as I build the vision of a bridge that supports Canadians with an online educational program: Write. Appreciate. Recalibrate. Why? So that teachers, educators, librarians, podcasters, nurses, business people, and construction workers lead with kindness, trust, and humility.
- Lindsey Killoran and Rachel Gibson, at Tourism Canmore Kananaskis who are introducing me to companies that visit the bridges that cross the Bow River, places that are found in my back yard
- Beckie Scott, O.C. M.S.M. who publicly thanked me, during a keynote address in Canmore on May 9. Beckie is a “widely respected world leader in anti-doping, was chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Athlete Committee and is recognized globally for her advocacy and work on behalf of clean, fair, doping-free sport. Full circle moment, thanks Beckie for all of the ways you are a positive force for change, including your work with Spirit North
- My amazing and ever-expanding networks who are grounding me in a natural and relational ecosystem of family and friends, rivers, Dippers, American Red Starts and bright lights who motivate me to keep stitching and weaving.
