In the beginning there was a tree. It had endured two and a half centuries of blustery winter gales and scorching summers. 25 years ago some dude decided to build a house in the shade of this magnificent elm. 2 years ago he got sick of raking leaves and convinced himself this behemoth was blocking his view. So he cut it down. Ouch!....
I winced every time I rode by the stump on my bike. But a few days ago I noticed something weird. That tree refused to die. In fact it's growing a whole new tree out of it's dead looking stump. That was Groot's super power in "Guardians of the Galaxy". No matter how obliterated he got, he just kept coming back. Well that, and he was super cute.
And look below at these pussy willows. They were just sticks with puffy white pollen balls. Water, sun, time, and Voila! Same thing for cactus leaves. You just break em off and assume since they're rootless and just sitting on the ground they're goners. Nope....new roots and a whole new cactus from the stump of the leaf.
I'm in a tough spot right now and my default is right back to all those childhood messages. "You're nothing, you'll never amount to anything, you're dirt." The shame bleeds into my dreams and haunts me through the day. My Alanon programs tells me this is the time for me to do self care. In my world that means take lots of naps. Lo and behold, by the next day, or sometimes even that evening... my self worth is replenished and I can see a way out. I didn't pray or stick my feet in water, I just took a nap. Somehow I am mysteriously replenished. What is that secret, invisible force that brings hope and renewal into that stump, those sticks, and me?
