There’s a birch tree which stands along the path behind our home.
Year after year, I’ve watched her grow – through hurricanes and blizzards and devastating ice storms. Yet still, she persevered – oddly stronger than before.
And, with each new season her stiffened bark would break and curl revealing a tenderness within. How ironic – that this ‘cloak’ which once confined had sheared to paper thin.
I thought of myself in the context of her lesson. Are we not much the same? That is to say, even when greatly weathered – our tenderness remains, unchanged.
Though we may fear losing the subtlety of its essence, it’s important to remember-
That which we ‘are’ can never be forsaken. Rather, we are – much like the birch – transformed.
In peace…
Namaste ❤️