Scarlet Tanager
Yesterday a scarlet tanager visited while I walked through the woods. Despite the striking patch of fire red extending below her beak onto her breast, they prefer tree tops, making them difficult to spot. She stayed close for only a few moments and then vanished into the thickening forest.
The scarlet tanager reminded me of fleeting moments. The beautiful everyday that make up most of our lives. I thought of rocking my son to sleep every night for almost three years. Many nights it was hard to stay awake, other days I was busy and felt pulled. I committed to this task knowing that in the stretch of life it would only be a moment of my time. I remember the evening he told me that he didn’t need me to rock him but instead to lay next to him on his small bed. So, that is what we did for three more years (alongside evening visits in our bed, snuggled between my husband and I).
We transitioned through everything-or at least we tried to transition through everything-in ways that did not feel stressful or abrupt, but instead, natural and organic.
It isn’t easy to allow life to unravel on its own. It can be difficult not to force and manipulate. Living in this way has been a battle of trust for me. Trusting myself, my intuition and the process of life. In any given moment of daily challenges it can be easy to lose sight of our growth. If we can open our hearts to compassion, it can be easier to witness our process and fully live inside of it as it is happening.
Why is this so hard? Our lives are full of opportunities to compare ourselves to others, to feel as though we need fixing up. There is unsurmountable pressure on us calling us to do more, be more and try harder. We are reminded on a daily basis that being who we are simply isn't enough.
But what if it was? What if wherever we are on our journey is exactly where we are meant to be? What if we trust the process a little more?
I was recently reminded to “See the forest through the trees.” Reflecting on this often over the past month has considerably changed my outlook on the process of life. I am learning to appreciate all that I have. The abundant moment of now is ever evolving and as I widen my perspective, I am gifted experiences that allow me to continually appreciate the process of life unfolding. Gently moving forward, while trusting the process, has calmed me. I don’t feel the urgent anxiety and wishful feelings that I was somewhere else on the journey, at a predetermined or predestined event or moment in time. If I practice mindful, intentional living from a heartful place of gratitude, I recognize that I’m exactly where I am supposed to be.
When we can maintain this high energy, fully present in the amazing process of living, we can more easily see the forest through the trees…loving the precious moments of now before they are gone into memory.
Lean deeply into your wellness practices when the journey is rough and graciously create the life you desire remembering to trust the process. xxxx
