The naked tree

In January, I typically sit scratching my head and wondering why I am struggling to push through on creative projects that I profess to love.

This January has been no exception.

However, every time I’ve got myself out in to nature or even sat in my cabin staring out of the window, my eyes have been drawn to the naked tree.

I am struck by the sheer beauty of it.

There it stands in its birthday suit looking absolutely strikingly fabulous.

That’s all well and good and I’m always up for a feast for the eyes.  But was I supposed to learn something from this?

I do believe that when we seek and we really mean it and we really want it, we do find.  The following quote springs to mind; ‘when the student is ready the teacher appears’.

And so I kept looking and I kept wondering.

Initially what this spoke to me was that whilst in the season of winter, all the leaves have been stripped away (and begrudgingly raked up by me last year) thus leaving the bare branches. I began to have the thought that I am pretty sure they don’t stand there all winter, worrying incessantly that they will never be clothed in leaves again.

They trust in their seasons and cycles of rest.

I’ve certainly never seen a tree clinging on to its last remaining leaf for fear there will never be any more.

Can I say the same of myself?  Not always, seemingly.

I looked again.

This time, I registered that these trees are in a season of rest.

Perhaps this means that it is ok for me to rest.

But, I’ve just had the longest break and rest that I have had since this pesky pandemic began.

I am rested.

I continued to look at the tree.

Then it occurred to me that not only were they standing there naked, being beautiful and resting, but undoubtedly they would also have been taking up whatever nutrients they need from their roots.

As I pondered this, I realised that we live in a culture fixated on all things physical, visible and tangible.

We can neglect to see let alone to understand the importance of the invisible or that which occurs beneath the surface, irrespective of its vital role not just in sustaining but developing and regenerating new life.

I wondered if I was taking up the nutrients I need.

And then I got it.

In January, whilst most folk focus on all things physical, I remember the importance of all things mental and emotional.  I know that if I expect much of myself in this area whether for work or for play, my commitment to nourish my heart and mind, must remain for more than the first few weeks of the year.

Obvious right?!

As a Psychotherapist, I feel I ought to know this on an embodied enough level to practice it on a daily basis!  As a human, I am aware that I have a propensity towards amnesia when it comes to all things life giving!!

I am also reminded that this can happen to those responsible for contributing to the spiritual health of their sheep, ie pastors, as I read this week in UCB that research revealed that many pastors whether suffering from a similar amnesia or simply not grasping the relevance, do not practice praying to the God who wants to feed us all, the type of fuel that quenches our thirst and satisfies our deeper hungers.

And so, off the back of the learning from the naked tree, I am going to be practising cultivating daily habits to regularly feed my own heart and mind in addition to feeding my body and spirit.

As I do so, for the month of February, via FB, I will be inviting anyone else interested in ingesting enough fuel for enlivened living, to participate in twenty eight days of implementing habits that enhance the mind and heart to sustain and nourish mental and emotional health.   

Come join me …