The Tree Metaphor

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In my last blog entry I had the picture
to the left.  I didn't think it really applied
to what I was talking about, but I thought
I would share it, so it remained.

Just as I went to share what I wrote, it
occurred to me that the image did indeed
fit what I was writing.  It occurred to me
that a tree and its leaves go through many
stages.


It occurs to me that the tree is still itself
whether its leaves are green or any other
color.  It is still itself when it loses its
leaves.  It can never be anything but
itself, despite the fact that its appearance
may be different, and there are perceived
changes.  It also occurs to me that it can
never pretend to be anything other than
what it already is, and it can never be
what someone else wants it to be, unless
what that is is what it already is.

It occurs to me that I can never be anyone
but myself, either.  And yet several things
will make me question whether I am being
the "right" me.

I know some people would say we, unlike
the tree, have some control over what we
become.  And some might say that if we
think we have no control, it is just an
excuse.

I have to wonder, though, how much of
who we are and what we become is exactly
perfect for who we are meant to be.  I
watched Michael J Fox in an interview,
and he said his diagnosis made him a
better man.

What if those things we don't like about
ourselves and our lives are the very things
that we need to have us become the very
person we are meant to be.  What if the
various shades and sheddings of us are
as intentional as what happens to a tree?

If that is the case, then there is never anything
wrong with who we are or what we do, and
nothing is more right than the experiences we
have - which includes even those things we
would label "undesirable."

Of course,
even if that is true,
believing,
and acting on it,
is most
likely much more
easily said
than done.

However, as I think about the tree metaphor,
I think about how it would be if we told the
tree, "no...don't shed, don't shed, don't shed"
as we watched it shed all its leaves, every
last one.  That would be painful to watch
and not easy to experience, especially if
we desired some other outcome.

But isn't that
what we often
do with ourselves
in some form
or fashion?

And how "easy"
is that?