Evergreen & Well
The Evergreen
I was drawn to the idea of an evergreen as I thought about the concept of this space. Not only have I been surrounded by them in many eras of my life living in northern New England, but I believe deeply in our oneness with nature. It’s part of why I love the oils and being kind to the Earth. Our connection to the natural world can teach us many lessons and show us many paths.
So I was thinking about this idea of being ever-growing, being “ever green”?
This idea may not be related to doing, or learning… like learning a new hobby or being a novice at something (although this is a really good thing for your mind, body and soul) but instead, the idea that we are in perpetual becoming. Reaching new heights, facing new conditions, making a home for others, taking up space in this world… it is part of the journey. It’s part of life.
Maybe with allowance for unending growth and acceptance of everlasting evolution, we need not worry that this is as good as it gets, we need not hastily want for what is to come… we can release the rush and embrace the seasons… because how much are we muddying the journey to true fulfillment with timelines, expectations, or external factors?
As a recovering “type A”, an enneagram 3...someone who has been considered a high achiever, a people pleaser in some ways… I have reckoned with the idea that external validation and artificial timelines have hindered my sense of self-knowing, self-trust and self-love.
How can we learn to let go of what doesn’t matter and hold onto what does? How can we learn to make up our own minds? It’s a journey inward, peeling back layers and rings around our heart - figuring out what really matters and what was someone else’s idea of success or love or a happy life. When we are strongly rooted in core beliefs and understandings of SELF, we can grow to new heights with integrity, authenticity and passionate purpose.
Rooted and Reaching
An evergreen is deeply rooted far below the surface of the world. An evergreen does not allow the changes in seasons to drastically alter its way of being. Instead it grows around anything in its path. Steadfast, sturdy, rooted.
The evergreen withstands harsh weather… it adapts and continues on through changes in seasons. If the roots are too stiff, the tree will snap - there remains flexibility amidst the strength. The evergreen reaches and continues to grow… a long and powerful journey… not one of speed but of continual regrowth, learning, adapting, and leaving a mark on the world around it.
When I think about my roots, I think of the people with whom and the places where I was raised… I have appreciation for who I am in a patchwork of many experiences and people who came before me.
My roots are also the beliefs, experiences and lessons I know are PART of my story but are no longer THE story…. to keep my roots healthy, I needed to let some of them go. My roots are my core principles, they are what makes me ME, the energy of the people I love the most, the moments when I am happiest, the things I can talk about for hours, my non-negotiables and my tendencies. Our roots are the things that will always be part of us… and they’re the foundation upon which we grow and reach.
With what we’ve learned, with how we’ve adapted; with how we’ve endured and failed and succeeded and loved and lost. We grow upward and forward, we grow new rings, from the outside in. It is with this acceptance of who we are and where we’ve been, that we can stretch for more light; more height…we can embrace the reach while being rooted.