During the past week, I have felt a sense of stillness present in the world. The phone is not ringing as much. Emails are not coming as frequently. And I am reminded that life moves in cycles. There are times of great activity, and times of stillness.
A few years ago I was hiking in the Santa Monica mountains. I would always hike with pen & paper because the words would begin flowing as I wandered across the trails. One day I came across a tree that had shed its leaves. It seemed so still & empty. And as I stood there with the tree, I could begin to feel its vibrancy. Even in its dormancy it was alive. In that moment, the tree taught me about the potency of stillness and the following passage of wisdom flowed through:
“The tree does not wonder if it will bloom again For it knows it will. So it surrenders to the loss. To the dormancy. For it knows that there is a time to stand empty and dig roots down deep, replenishing & restoring. And so it is with you. The time will come to bloom again. For now there is beauty to be found it standing in the empty spaces.”
Wishing you peace in the quiet spaces.
Words to live by. I’m in a state of replenishing myself and revelling in the quiet times before the world picks up speed again, so this post struck a chord. As it happens, I’ve also been drawn to trees a lot recently – planting them in my garden, buying paintings of trees for my home, doodling them on paper, and now apparently reading about them randomly in blogs! For me, they radiate such quiet joy and exuberance. It’s such a wonderful energy! Does anything embody ‘life’ in quite the same way as a tree?
Many thanks for your wisdom, Laurel. Smiles and blessings to you, Sarah