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Daring to rest

November 17, 2019 Leave a comment

old maple tree at the end of the stone wall

(listening time: 3:59 minutes)

Everything about today – the sunshine, the quality of light, the temperature a pleasant 47°, the forecast of snow later in the week – says, “Slow down. Linger.” So I do just that. I take my time.

Asha and I explore a side trail I’ve been curious about for a while. As we turn off the main trail I notice an old, old tree where the stone wall ends and wonder if she is a witness tree, a term I recently learned. When colonists surveyed the land, they designated witness trees as “semi-permanent monuments of survey corners.”

Whether or not this maple was an official witness tree, I know she has seen a lot. I introduce myself and Asha and thank her for her steadfastness.

The trail, despite the clear tire grooves, doesn’t go very far – or is too overgrown to offer a clear path – so we turn around.

From there we wander down to a favorite spot near a stream. The recent rains have made this trail muddy, but I don’t care – and neither does Asha.

On our way back to our starting point, we pass a stand of conifers. I step over the stone wall and pick up pine cones and twigs to help me identify these trees I want to befriend. Further down the trail we stop and chat with a man from a local timber and building supply company. He tells me one of the twigs I’m carrying home is a spruce, the other a fir.

As we approach the road Asha stops, as she often does, and I have to coax her to the car. I share the desire to linger longer in these woods but I feel full from our unhurried explorations and am ready to return home.

As I recount our meanderings, I worry it’s not enough to say, “Let me tell you about some pleasant things I experienced in the woods this morning.” According to the principles of storytelling, I’m supposed to introduce some conflict or drama into this story and share how I overcame it.

But the conflict was last week.

My inner critic, whom I’ve named Norma, hounded me to weave more, more, more to prepare for a craft fair next weekend. Fortunately, Sophia, my inner wisdom, chimed in quietly with “What if the best way to prepare is to rest?”

I exhaled and Norma fell silent.

That question released some energy in me. (Norma can be so exhausting.) I took care of a few tasks I’d been procrastinating on and when I returned to the loom, I did so with a calm joy.

I’ve repeated Sophia’s question many times over the past several days and realized it isn’t just about physical rest. She’s encouraging me to let go of the pushing and panic and settle into my own enoughness.

So, yes, today’s walk is all about savoring the fall sunshine and these woods, this beautiful place I live. Our slow ramble in the woods is preparation for the craft fair. It will help me show up feeling grounded in myself, in the knowledge that I am enough.

Which is precisely what I want for my customers – to know that they are enough.

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Your voice helps me settle into storytime, which is one of the most loving, safe and calm places for me to be.

-Maggie Katz
West Stockbridge, Massachusetts

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