Yesterday, my daughter Nora and I went to our garden and noticed our guava tree was falling over. It was leaning down, away from the wall that it stood so strongly against. It held many guavas that had not yet been picked.
I began to wonder...
Did it fall over because the guavas got too heavy to hold? Did it need our help - nature’s help - to pick them? Why didn’t they fall as they do with apple trees and lemon trees? Did it simply become too heavy and needed the help of a pole to prevent it from bending over?
It made me think of us - humans - and what happens when we hold on to too much… when we hold on to our money or materialistic things, or when we hold on to resentment or suppressed thoughts and emotions - don’t we bend over in a way too?
Whether it manifests physically in our outward form or invisibly in our inner chaos - it definitely feels heavy. It feels like we are struggling to stand up every day sometimes.
There is so much in nature that reminds us of who we are. Letting go of those guavas may have saved this tree’s life, just like we are saved every time we release a long-buried resentment.
Someone picking those guavas off the tree may have also saved this tree, just like our friends and family can help us by being there for us - by listening or helping with a simple task.
We are a community - this guava tree and me - nature and humans. I could have noticed this earlier and given it the help it needed.
I am grateful to this tree for giving me this important life lesson and creating stronger connections between me and the majesty of nature.
And now, I am going to try to help this tree stand tall again. I will learn more about how guavas grow because my role is to help this world of ours grow with integrity, care, courage and kindness.
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