Dancing Pines
Dancing Pines in a mild breeze
Behind my house, on my neighbor's property, stand several pine trees. I'll bet they range from 30-40 feet tall, and the two reaching most stridently for the sky are also the fullest of the bunch. In the past six plus years of living here, these trees have caught my eye again and again. Not just because they are majestic and hold memories longer than my own. They capture my attention, because they dance!
When a gentle breeze swirls up the hill, the branches sway, gently waving hello. Over these past weeks, as the winds have paced through like a race horse, the pines have moved from chaotic night club to ballet and back again. It's simply stunning to behold.
All of these years, I've been watching, knowing they were offering me more than beauty and entertainment. Within the movement resides a message - a lesson - but I couldn't quite grasp it. So, I've waited, trusting that a moment might come for a revelation.
A few days ago, a piece of it registered. When these pines dance, the center remains strong and grounded. The trees are spaced far enough apart to amply reach outward in diameter, while appearing to relate to one another, as a small grove. The roots are deeply settled into the earth, and the crown extends itself toward the sun - stretching, worshipping, receiving - just as the roots mirror below. The branches, though, behave so differently from the oaks and maples around us. While the leaves of the deciduous trees flap in the breeze, the trunk and branches appear stiff. Of course, they move some, too, yet unlike the free-moving evergreens, we regularly find bark-laden branches in our yard after a hard wind.
These pines, though, seem to revel in the chaos. The unknown doesn't trouble them. They appear to play with the gusts, rather than brace against them. And, on the occasion that a branch detaches, it seems to do so directly from the trunk. I see it as a kind of letting go of what that tree no longer needs. It doesn't possess a quality of wounded or broken. The release warrants no repair or attention. It's just a way of making space for the remaining branches to dance BIGGER through the next storm.
None of this is new, exactly. And I realize other pines in New England appear stripped to nub, but the ones I speak of - I think they're special. It's as though they waited for me to register the awareness of their strength, beauty, and movement for this time in history. It seems like a gift. One worthy of sharing with you. I'm thinking, the pines are inviting us to dance with them!
Right now, perhaps we can each find and maintain our center. I mean, I find mine, and you find yours. Then allow both a grounding and a stretching to occur. A deep knowing that this space and time is exactly where we are each meant to be. Might we can claim our respective spaces with clarity - aligned in ourselves and the earth? Simultaneously, rather than fight against the change we're experiencing, I wonder how things unfold if we welcome it! Let us try on different steps, leaps, and arm movements to embrace, play, and dance with the storm we find ourselves in. This will likely include letting go of some old branches that take up space, and are ill equipped to meet the dance. These may include old ways of thinking, beliefs you've had about yourself, a particular perception of how the world is meant to work...I don't know! But isn't it exciting to shift from bracing against to a place of interest and curiosity?
I won't lie and say, "Oh, this will be easy." Some parts may be straight forward and quite natural, while others may tax our existing systems. New things often cause discomfort. We may not like that part, and still, it's how we grow. Leaving behind the things that haven't been working for you might seem obvious, yet, how often do we cling to the familiar, because the unknown is anxiety provoking?
I want you to know, it's okay to feel fear. I'll encourage you to avoid listening to the stories in your head, because all too often, those inner terrorists will paralyze you with self-generated fear. Real fear is about a threat in the moment. And while allowing room for the ways you've been practicing control freakery, self-judgment, or caretaking haven't truly been accomplishing what you've desired, at least you maintain the illusion of control. Whereas, the actual unknown may be a little scary. Who will you be without those habits and beliefs? I don't know! But I'm so very interested to meet that person.
Perhaps you don't know where to begin, if you elect to dance with the pines. I believe connecting with the essence of who you be, is a great place to start. For you to stand in your aligned, centered self, you must first experience that space. There are a million ways to settle into your true self. I've been offering a potpourri through the Third Option Wisdom video series, and the new Third Option Wisdom podcast. If any of those doorways support you, great! If you need additional help remembering your essence self, reach out to a source you trust - or discover a new resource to encourage your personal navigation during these strange times.
With much love and encouragement,
Joanne Lutz
