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LIVE A LITTLE LIGHTER
Described as “A stunning Zen gem” by Louis and Chrissie van Loon, Founder of The Buddhist Retreat Centre in Ixopo, Di Smith’s latest publication, A Lighter Way of Being, gives us all some nuggets of wisdom to live a little lighter. Words di sMiTh
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i Smith is a child of Africa. She grew up among the Xhosa people on their family farm, Willowdale, in a magnificent part of KwaZulu-Natal called East Griqualand. Her childhood days consisted of roaming free, on horseback, or on foot. Nature taught her the cycles of life and death and turned her to the shifting of the seasons and life itself. She began her formal education at The Holy Cross Convent in Kokstad. At the age of twelve, she was sent to board in Pietermaritzburg. Having a free spirit, she ran away. “From childhood, I loved books and reading”, says Di. “I love biographies, autobiographies, and I read good novels for relaxation. In my spiritual quest, I have travelled through books that have helped
me integrate the essence of teachings into my everyday life.” When we asked Di about her books, she said, “I published my first book called ‘You’re Awesome’ in 2011. I worked with an amazing photographer, Terrence Mtola, for the images in the book. We were honoured when Father Desmond Tutu agreed to write the Foreword. You’re Awesome became a South African bestseller”. Her latest book, A Lighter Way of Being, was published just before lockdown. She explains, “Both my books have been personal narratives of short stories and poetry. This book is a contemplative and poetic journey to the heart of awareness, with South Africa as the backdrop. Through my inward journey and my teachings of meditation, I was inspired
to write A Lighter Way of Being to open a door for others to live a richer, more meaningful, and creative life. Again, I was privileged to work with an extremely talented fine arts photographer, Ker Stanley”. The text in the book comes from Di’s awareness of whatever is in front of her; she explains, “The tangible opposite is Ker’s artistic ability. Fired by his imagination, his images in the book are random, absurd, and totally inspiring”. For those who are inspired to write too, Di gives some good advice she received from the author Marguerite Poland, “Set aside a certain number of hours a day for writing, switch off from the world. To write, just start writing, and the words will come”. di.awesomesa@gmail.com
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