If eagles can evolve, can we?

There are a pair of eagles in Clayoquot Sound that are apparently evolving - to lessen genetically-programmed violence. It makes me think that if eagles can evolve, maybe even humans can too!

On a small island off the harbour of Tofino, there is a pair of eagles, mated for life, that have lived there for almost two decades. This is their story.

Normally eagles have just a single chick each year. They have several eggs, but only one normally survives. This is because in the eagle world fratricide is the norm. The first chick born kills the others. "Neither parent will make the slightest effort to stop the fratricide," says the American Bald Eagle Info Site.

But Tofino wildlife observers have noticed that this particular pair of eagles always has two chicks. Every year for more than a decade. Two chicks. The guide who was telling me this story thinks that the parents must have intervened in the sibling death matches.

I find this striking. This means that this pair of eagles is going against its - well, conditioning.

I mean, don't you, as a human, find it extremely difficult to change? Imagine how hard it must have been for these eagles! They don't have language, self-help books, or therapists - or even cops to maintain civil order amongst eagles. They did it anyway.

Makes me take a look at those things about myself that I get resigned about, or think are genetic and therefore unchangeable.

Makes me think that maybe humans might just evolve too, in time to save ourselves. (Okay, I know it's a leap, but it makes me think that anyway!).

What do you think?

How I went from bad to good in a day

Today I flipped a family situation that was difficult and painful into something that was awesome and met everyone’s needs. I want to tell you about it. It was kinda cool actually. And scary.

You see, for a couple of weeks my partner Ian has been exhausted from all the energetic touring he does for our company DreamRider Theatre. Coincident with this, I’ve been coffee-ing and lunching with some of the brilliant people I met at Social Venture Institute and generally they have been expanding my own brain and vision considerably. So this weekend I was in a bit of a contraction. Meaning I was cranky, tired and whiney. (Lucky Ian!!!) 

His fatigue and my whininess left for a not-very fun couple of days. (I am not perfect, I am astounded to discover.)  Meantime I had been planning for some time a beautiful little mini-holiday to Tofino for my family this week. Full disclosure: I really needed to go – I used to live there and every now and again my soul just needs to get back to the wild west coast. But I was bringing them. Happy family times were planned. Except. Tia was going to miss saying a few sentences at her school’s Remembrance Day ceremony, and Ian was just too f’ing tired to contemplate the drive. They were both mad at me.

photo (c) Vanessa LeBourdais

And they revolted! They didn’t want to go. The day before we were due to leave. When I couldn’t cancel the reservations any more.

And the secret piece is that I’ve been spending too much time alone lately and really needed – I was sure! - to connect with my family.

My friend Erin – who is a wise witchy woman I call upon for inspired advice – said, with her typical way of cutting to the essence of it – “You should go. On your own. Face your fears of being alone front and centre. Do it.”

Now – everybody’s happy. Exact same difficult situation, looked at differently. Ian gets to stay home and do nothing, just as he has been dreaming of. Tia gets to do her presentation. I get Tofino. And I get to look at one of my deepest core fears. But I’ll do this in the place, where, in the loneliest part of my life when I was younger, the sea and forest and sand and wind embraced and held me as I healed.

Now that I'm looking at the upside, I notice some other things: I'm going away, guilt-free, from my kid and my husband for four days, to do whatever the heck pleases me. I could get used to this!  What a different perspective I got by surrendering to what was happening and opening to my fears.

I might even be able to let that old fear go. After all, the room I rented in my Tofino days is now a chocolate factory. Miracles can happen.

photo (c) Tia Gschwind