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Thoughts from the trail...
What this cottonwood tree said to me is changing my life...
“I am here”
the ancient cottonwood seemed to say to me
“I am here”
the ancient cottonwood
seemed to say to me
when I casually asked it,
"How ya doing?”
as I passed by.
As I let those words sink in
I realized - I am here too,
and upon that realization
I was delivered
into the present moment.
"I am here"
the ancient cottonwood
seemed to say to me,
and "I am here too"
said my soul.
What a gift!
May that be enough.
I am here
There is this huge old cottonwood tree that I walk past almost every day on my morning walk, and one day I slowed down and light heartedly asked it, how's it going?
And, I thought I heard it respond and say, “I am here.”
I totally understand that it may seem quirky and weird, to say the least, to be talking and listening to trees, but I have these sayings that crop up every once in a while in various ways as I try to remain present to Presence throughout the day.
I have thought for a long time that trees have a certain wisdom. For me the main wisdom that trees communicate is;
they just are. They simply exist and do their thing providing the world with shade, oxygen, a place to live for 80% of life on the planet, and so much more.
Maybe it’s almost self-evident that if an ancient cottonwood would have anything to say, it would simply say, “I am here.”
I am here too
As I kept walking I continued to mull it over and began to see the deep contemplative wisdom in the phrase “I am here” and realized that I am here too.
Since then, when I repeat the phrase “I am here” to myself, especially if my attention is drawn away by thoughts about the past and worrying about the future, repeating the phrase “I am here” helps me to become present. Like we’re taught with
Centering Prayer I find it extremely helpful to have a word or phrase to call me back to Reality - which is the present moment.
May that be enough
May the present moment be enough.
Life is a gift
I don’t know why, but it’s hard for me to remember that just the fact that I am here is a gift. It’s a miracle just to be alive and breathe and experience the beauty and love that each moment of every day provides.
Sometimes it takes realizing our mortality and that we don’t get to live forever to grasp what a gift each moment of every day is. As I looked for articles and quotes on life being a gift I came across a
Huffington-Post article by writer Ashley Ballou-Bonnema who has Cystic Fibrosis. She recognizes that her life will probably be cut short and says in this excellent article, “[the] most extraordinary gift is my life.”
May I also remember the fact that I am here is an extraordinary gift.
Quotes
When I am Among the Trees
By Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It's simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.” (1)
By David Wagoner
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you. (2)
“Suffering needs time; it cannot survive the Now.” (3)
~ Eckhart Tolle
“Time is what keeps the light from reaching us. There is no greater obstacle to God than time.” (4)
~ Meister Eckhart
“This gift I have been given is immeasurable. It is priceless. It is irreplaceable. It cannot be simply wrapped in a box, adorned with the most ornate bow. This most extraordinary gift is my life: made up of beautiful breaths, unconditional love, and endless gratitude.” (5)
~ Ashley Ballou-Bonnema
_ _ _ _ _
I hope this has been helpful. If you want to talk some more about practicing presence or living life to the full in a coaching or spiritual direction setting CLICK HERE
View last blog post -
How to be Happy
FOOTNOTES
(1) When I am Among the Trees By Mary Oliver, Madison Public Library
(2) Lost BY David Wagoner,
Blog - The Best American Poetry
(3) Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now, page 52
(4) Ashley Ballou-Bonnema,
Huffington Post
(5) Meister Eckhart, The Power of Now, page 52
Photos and video Rod Janz
