Connecting with Nature
Over this past weekend, I took a trip out to central Oregon. (See the gallery for photos!) Seeing that I had some time off, I realized that it had been a while since I really got out into nature. It is really easy to sink into the comfort of routine, not even realizing that it has been months since I was surrounded by evergreen trees, or since I have just sat and relaxed by the water. I find that experiences like this are a good reset, a chance to reconnect with myself, and reconnect with nature.
The feeling of awe from looking out upon the earth from a high place, was once one of the few ways I knew how to become present and feel peace in days past. Despite having a meditation practice, and the ability to bring that dimension into more areas of my life, I still greatly enjoy the old way. Seeing the mountains, the forests, lakes, rivers, and streams, and just feeling myself as a little part of something larger, something so alive and majestic, is an experience I will always enjoy and value.
Going out into a remote place, has always been a great source of inspiration and introspection for me. There is a clarity of thought in such places, that is difficult to attain in the busyness of day-to-day life. I am always challenged in such places, as old patterns emerge in the mind, and with them, an invitation to change them for the better. Nature itself provides the example, of how to live, and how to value what we have.
As I walk down a path during this time of year, I see fresh growth all around me. I see fresh green needles on a fur tree, newly blooming flowers, little green berries forming on a bush. Nature is always ready to remind us that abundance is a part of life, that everything grows and passes in its time. The trees do not complain about where they are growing, they instead grow and flourish, as much as they can, in the place and circumstances that they are living. The young trees do not look up at the older and wish they were taller, they instead grow in their own time, and their own way, totally unique.
I believe there is a lot to be learned about life, simply by pondering such things. I ask myself; do I know how to just live? To just be myself, to accept and value who I am, regardless of what anyone else is? Can I be like those trees, grounded in who I am, growing and striving on my own journey, rather than endlessly seeking to copy the journeys of others?
This to me, is the essence of the work. To know myself, to explore my own path, to realize the greatest version of myself, and to value that which I am. Like the trees in the forest, each uniquely themselves, I will always be surrounded by others, a part of the larger whole. It is possible to both remain distinct, and honor myself, while also being a supportive and supported part of that larger whole. Just like a tree in the forest.
It is always within our power to create the conditions for growth in our own lives. Just as a tree needs fertile ground, sunlight, and water, so do we each have our own needs as people. I would never expect a tree to grow and flourish when deprived of any of its basic needs, nor do I expect a person to flourish when their needs are not met. When I see a tree that is struggling, it is easy to see how its environment is restricting its ability to prosper. I then ask myself, can I do this too for people? This too, is the work. As I learn to give grace to myself, to recognize how I have done the best I can with what I had, I learn too to do this for others.
My challenge today, for my dear readers, is to look at your life, at yourself, like a tree in the forest. Can you see what is helping you grow and flourish? Can you see what is holding you back? Can you believe in your own innate ability to grow and flourish when your needs are met? From that knowing, can you do your part to create a life situation for yourself that supports you, and others? The power to do this is in your hands. It may not be easy, it may not come quickly, but like a little tree in the woods, growing in the shadow of the old growth, your time will come too.
Nature is always there, waiting to remind you, to show you, that its peace, is the same peace that lives deep within you.
