Shaking and Relaxing

pineconeandbarkThe earthquake last Sunday brought a sudden physical change to the town of Napa. The destruction that it caused can be a metaphor for our lives. Sometimes we need something or someone to shake up our lives in order for us to take the action to make something new and needed happen. And sometimes we simply need to relax and remember that change can take time. It’s important to find the balance between over-nourishing and under-nourishing our dreams.

That night I was reminded of this as I relaxed under a redwood tree pondering all the shaking up that has happened in my life over the last year. Practitioners have come and gone at Songbird. My son has graduated and moved away to school. My boyfriend Allen moved in with me along with his 13 year old son and his dog. There are many more major changes that I am contemplating.

Sometimes change seems to happen too slowly, and sometimes it seems to move too quickly. Either one can be frustrating. Sunday night under the tree, I was reminded that a tree doesn’t grow overnight. It took time and a nurturing environment to create the bark that the tree gifted me with as I got up to leave.

As I walked home along the path, I saw several pinecones. Some were open and some were closed. They reminded me of the cycle of life. The cone opens and releases its seeds. They grow over time into a new tree. The new tree then produces new seeds. Each part of the journey is different. While we might know what is supposed to grow from a seed we plant, we don’t know what it will look like on its path to harvesting. We can love and accept whatever happens as our dreams grow and manifest in unexpected ways.