Growth Comes From Our Own Roots

I was on my paddle board today at Blue Springs State Park. Scott rented a kayak so he could go out on the water with me. As soon as I kicked my food off the sandy floor of the river and floated away from the shore I felt it...Peace! There are some things in this world that bring me the kind of peace I imagine a baby feels as it rests in the arms of a loved one. The kind of peace that comes over your whole body and mind and connects you to something deeper, more powerful than you. This is the peace that I felt.

Scott put this date together for us as part of an elaborate Christmas gift he gave me, entitled The 12 Dates of Christmas. He got me an electric pump for my paddle board and took me out so we could learn together where to launch. This beautiful man not only gave me the gift of an afternoon of connected time together doing something I love but the gift of helping me get the things I need to do it on my own. Now I have the confidence to take myself out to get in touch with that peace. A gift I can give myself over and over.

As we pushed out into the water I spent a few minutes practicing standing, kneeling and sitting on my board. I was surprised at the ease in which I could do this after not being on my board for so long. We paddled towards the opening of the spring, where the manatees like to hang out this time of year as the water is warmer there. We both stopped paddling and gently floated as the manatees swam around us. Many of them came right up to us and reached out of the water to say hello. They seem to be very curious creatures. We sat there a while, curious creatures watching curious creatures, peacefully.

We headed down the river towards a cove where the mantatees go in search of food. I stood up on my board and felt my strength as I paddled against the current and through the wind. I felt powerful and confident. Scott pointed up at a tree along the bank. In a predominantly monochromatic setting there was just a bit of greenery growing out of a hole in a seemingly dead tree. As I looked up at this beautiful bit of greenery thriving in an otherwise brown and grey setting I said "sometimes growth happens in the most uncomfortable conditions."

This is natures way of mirroring back to us something that we as humans experience often. It is when we recognize our own roots and their power to help us grow and keep us thriving that we can bloom even in the darkest of conditions. Our roots are our own and no matter how much we love others and intertwine our roots with them, their roots only have the power to affect ours if we allow it. This bit of greenery had to find tools of survival and growth even when everything around it was failing to thrive. Sometimes it's easy to confuse other people's roots with yours and be misled by the perception that this other person's decisions, choices, behavior etc. has some power over your well being. Although it's a hard concept to grasp at times, we truly are all connected to this earth, universe, greater power, God (or any other word you might use) by our own roots. We all have the ability to thrive even when it seems impossible. In fact, sometimes when it seems impossible and we dig deep anyways, we find some of the most beautiful growth we've ever seen in ourselves.