From Rust to Gold
Old Rag, Shenadoah National Park, Virginia, USA
“Nature never hurries, yet all is accomplished,” Lao Tzu
Nor does nature worry, so why do we? Why are we so apt to belittle our journey when we are actually in the process of creating something grand?
There is nothing quite like the symbolism of Fall to wake sense into our jaded perceptions.
The striking colors are so captivating, they make our necks snap as they take us by surprise. We are eager to behold such beauty, not knowing that it is our soul that begs us to look deeper.
We are being called to sit in wonder and revere the changing of the seasons
In nature and within us
Too often, we are dispassionate of what we’ve left behind & blind to what we’re currently unraveling. What’s coming has not yet been carried in the wind, and, so, we sharpen our senses for any sign of it. We fixate on what has not yet happened, discounting any progress that has been done.
It’s easy to become disenchanted by life when the untrained eye sees that much has stayed the same. Our fire weakens, our hopes sink, & we focus on all that has yet to be accomplished.
So many of us beg to see the ending, not wanting to enjoy the passing of seasons, much less the return of them one by one. Yet, it is precisely that mentality that stunts our growth & dulls our blossoms. We deny ourselves the soul food needed to sustain our own journey when we harshly criticize our work thus far.
To truly nurture metamorphosis, all must be celebrated & admired. It is what keeps us going. It is the gateway to attunement: to know when rest is mandatory, to shed the necessary layers, to understand when & what & how & how much nourishment we need at any given time. We see things are not dying, but being prepared for a rebirth.
We’re called upon to not just witness the process of transformation, but to savor its each and every hue. When we are captivated by the beauty of change, we’re able to properly continue our pursuit of it. Only then can we truly recognize how impressively we’ve transfigured our lives & transmuted our experiences.
Only then, can we see that we’ve done the extraordinary of turning rust into gold.
I’ve worked with many people who dismiss their progress.
They are so harsh on themselves that they dull their senses, blinding their eyes and burning off the nerve endings that feel.
They think that being severe with themselves with elicit grand change, but it has quite the opposite effect. It causes them to become stuck in the mud, in a terrain that does not support growth. They become unable to move, and the pool of mud grows bigger in size. They become further disconnected from that which they’ve grown.
They sink deeper, the mud engulfing the feet moves upward to the ankles..and then to the calves. They desperately kick out to take a step forward and panic when they are met with resistance so heavy, they remain stuck.
They are a victim to their own vices. They know not that their thrashing around in self-deprecation causes the mud to swallow them like quicksand.
Yet a branch hangs above and they need only reach up and grab hold of it, to grab hold of this hope that ever remains. They find that it is in being still that the muddy resistance settles and subsides. When they are still and abstain from beating themselves up, the mud loosens around their trunk and retreats downward.
Finally, they are able to see the terrain around. Yes, there is terrain upon which nothing can grow and that must be cleared out. Beyond that is fertile land, earth ripe and ready to be sown upon. But, we have to see it. We must stop seeing our lack of progress and start seeing what we’ve already planted. We must hold onto the branch of hope that shows us the opportunities of what's possible.
What’s possible is only possible if we see it. Will you choose to let the mud sink you into the depths of despair?
Or will you reach upward to grasp the branch and hold onto hope?
