The Beautifully Gnarled Tree
On embracing the imperfections of who we are and how we live
Most of our unhappiness stems from the difficulty in accepting what is here, who we are and where we are. We are designed to wish that life could be better, or different, and create stories in our minds that convince us that life would have been perfect if we hadn’t left that job, or it will be perfect once we find the right partner. It’s a shame, because we stop seeing what is right here in front of us. We stop smelling the flowers. We don’t hear the rain pattering down, or feel the warmth of the sun hug us like a big cozy blanket.
We can choose to believe that life works against us, or that life works for us. I believe the latter. When I look back on my life so far, I can see that even what felt like curses at the time were really blessings. I had invaluable teachings to learn from each experience. I am so grateful because I can see that life really has been on my side all along, coaxing me along this path that I must walk. Once I open my eyes and my heart to this, everything feels softer and kinder.
Sometimes it can feel difficult to accept where we are. We feel things should be different to be better, to be acceptable and right. When we can let go of this pressure and conditioning, we are able to open up to ourselves and our lives just as they are, and we finally feel the beauty and joy of what that feels like. To embrace the parts of ourselves and our lives that are not shiny and bright, but actually, make the colorful parts glow deeper through their darkness.
There is a tree that I love. It is old, wrinkled and beautiful. It is hunched over, and it winds and creaks in a manner that makes no sense and follows no rules. Moss graces its surface in variable patches. Branches peek out at random angles. None of it makes sense. Yet there is so much beauty in what it is, just as it is. It overlooks a turquoise sea and a yellow beach bathed in sunshine. It swings in the sea breeze, its leaves providing shade to those who seek it. Its fragrant flowers filled with sweet incense float away and land among the grains of sand. It offers a swing for those who choose to be cradled in its love and warmth. In the evenings, the sunset peeps through the gaps created by its leaves.
The tree is different, a little odd and rather quirky. I love quirky. I love that it is what it is, unashamedly and truly. I admire its courage and vulnerability. I appreciate the joy and light that it brings simply by being what it is. We are all beautifully gnarled trees. Let’s embrace our quirks and eccentricities, our wrinkled and misshapen selves, our haphazard and winding paths through the wonderful mess of life. Let us celebrate our beauty.
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