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a tree

Judy Hill supporter. nature whisperer. weather survivor.

Judy Hill is a Supportive Life Therapist, Wellness Coach, and CEO of Redwolf Coaching and Consulting. She mentors creative consciousness with compassionate insight, guiding people toward external resolutions through their internal contributions. [www.redwolfcg.com]

Nature has a way of teaching us everything we need to learn, if we’re willing to look beyond what’s familiar.

I stand on my porch, the view enhanced by trees in the forefront and mountains behind. In this morning’s silence, with the warmth of the sun shining upon me, I live in gratitude.

My turning point regarding the power of nature comes one morning when the sky is covered in clouds – gray, uninviting and cold, much like the way I feel. Recently, I’d allowed myself to re-open an old emotional wound. That rekindling of what I thought I’d finally let go of has awakened me to the fact that even with all my learning, education, and life experience, I can still go back to the emotional house where all my past hurts, pains, and judgments reside.

As I look from my porch, I see, right in front of me, a tall tree, perfectly straight, with branches equally spaced. Then something catches my attention. One side of the tree is completely bare, stripped by a windstorm and now naked and vulnerable to the elements.

A synchronicity becomes apparent. As I stare, I realized that this tree … is me! One side is full, healthy, and rich with color, standing tall and holding firm in what I know to be true – that my heart and head are sound. The other side has been stripped, seemingly has no protection, and is raw from the past’s pain.

As I look again, I find the lesson. This tree is not leaning, nor does it appear to face any challenges. It’s standing on its foundation, erect and strong. It rises above, heading straight toward the sky. Even though it looks like it lacks balance, the tree somehow maintains its powerful stance. The setback this tree experienced has not halted its determination, courage, or strength to continue on. It simply trusts and believes that all its branches will grow back in time, all its wounds will heal, and, in the course of that transformation, it will grow even stronger.

Now, when I look at that tree, I no longer see sadness, but a loving acceptance of what has been, even as we – the tree and I – move confidently toward the future.

– Judy Hill

Go Back

Your Turn

What’s a view you look out at every day?
What nature do you see there?
What lesson might you learn from those familiar, living things you see?

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