Lessons in Nature

On a retreat over the weekend, we went on a noble silence walk and then sat by a beautiful stream to meditate.  As I sat with my eyes closed listening to nature, I opened my eyes with emergency as to not miss one more minute of our beautiful earth!  With eyes wide open taking in the breath taking views of nature, I realized in an instant the lessons nature gives us.  I was watching with distant eyes leaves falling from a tree near me.  No big deal right?  Wrong!  It was if I was looking at a tree for the first time!  I noticed its bumps and lumps and weathered bark!  How genuinely beautiful this tree was!  Then the most amazing thing happened!  As the leaves were  softly drifting to the grown, I realized the tree was shedding what does not serve it any longer!  No story about it, just dropping its leaves and that was that.  The tree was leaving behind what it did not leave in order to make room for new growth!  Now I've been watching trees drop leaves for 47 years and this is the first time I ever made this analogy!  A light bulb went off for me!  Shed what does not serve me with no story around it to make room for new!  But the most amazing part of this for me was that the trees leaves do not come back right away!  It's a process!  AH HA!

I had to add this awesome picture I found on the web!