Dig Deep

How I describe a "Dig Deep" moment is; one of those times when you want to turn and run, and you know you can't. It is when a person must do something extremely hard either mentally or physically and they find the strength to do it. It is an experience where you think that you "can't" but you know you "can", because you dig deep.  

The list could be very long of examples of people that push themselves on a regular basis. For an athlete it is to push hard to pull off a win or to gather the needed strength in an overtime situation. There are people that put in incredibly long work hours, yet they are able to keep focused and continue to be productive. I think of the emergency crews or law enforcement that spend endless hours at an emergency scene, doing their jobs as the hours go on. Or, how about the farmer who continues to sit in the tractor for hours on end because the weather is not favorable, or because it must get done. 

I am going to share a story that my dear friend shared with me. It was about her journey sitting with her mother-in-law while she was in Palliative care. The dying process was going much more slowly than anyone had anticipated and therefore the visits were daily for my friend for many months. One day she had an overwhelming feeling, it said to her, "I can't do this anymore". But, as she crossed the threshold of the hospital, she received a message, "you can do this". She did do it, and she did it was the love and care that her mother-in-law needed. In that moment she was guided to dig deep.

In my career, I have watched many families keeping up a vigil to spend as much time as they could with their sick family members. Some families looked at it as a gift of time, others became impatient with the process. For some, they longed to get back to their life, or their normal. Others just accepted the time together as their new life and their new normal. 

As I write this, I am thinking of some "dig deep" moments that I have never experienced, but many parents have. I think of the strength some parents must have to hand over their child to the OR staff, so their child could have surgery, with uncertain outcomes. Or those parents that say their final goodbye, before their loved one becomes an organ donor and an angel. 

I think of the times when my friends have to dig deep to keep moving forward. Walking across the threshold of Cancer Care to start treatments. Continuing without your partner or choosing to be alone are situations when digging deep seems to be the only option.  Some people have to dig deep to have the confidence to walk into a room of people. Others dig deep to speak in front of others. Often a dig deep moment is necessary to even say, "no", or to ask others for a favor. What seems easy for some people is a dig deep moment for others.  

I think we "dig deep" more often than we realize. Digging deep may be a coping mechanism, but I believe it is the perfect action to prove how strong we really are when we need to be. Continue to "dig deep" everyone. Good things in life are never easy.