Things don’t always unfold as I think they should. Does that ever happen to you? Come on, you can tell me.
Long ago, for Lent, I gave up having expectations, not that I’m Catholic or Episcopalian. I just like the idea of Lent. (Note to Self, write about Lent, during Lent!) I found that I was not so successful at completely letting go of expectations, but it sure did make me more aware of the role expectations play in Life.
What brings this to mind is my recent trip to the mountains of North Carolina. Let’s give a shout out to 75 degree weather! Anyway, we were staying on the border of the Pisgah National Forest, where I fell in love, again, with trees.
What do trees have to do with expectations?
Expectations, if we hold them too tightly rob us of delight and peace in the unfolding moment. Whereas, trees, ahhhhh, trees ~ their very existence demands that they be flexible. The wind blows, they bend, The snow falls, they bend. They don’t seem to mind the wind and the snow.
In fact, the wind seems to empty them of their dead branches, revealing even more beauty. So, they flow with the wind and let go of what is no longer alive.
I think we can learn from trees.
Where might you need to bend a little?
Where might flexibility open the door to delight or peace in the unfolding moment?
What expectation might you be holding on a little too tightly?
How might being a bit more flexible enrich the forest of your life?
Finally, what ideas or beliefs might you release like so many dead branches if you bent with what is, rather than with what you think should be?
