Seasons of Growth
I bought a piece of property that sits on a forested ridge in northern California. Because I was in southern California at the time, my kids met with my realtor at the property and we did a video call. I had already seen the pictures and loved the place, but when they walked out onto the deck off the dining room I heard a chorus of frogs singing from the little pond and my heart leapt right inside of my chest. It was magical, and I knew I wanted to call it home. I put in my offer.
Finally, after the negotiations my offer was accepted. I booked my flight and came to see what I was buying in person. What a joy to even drive up the road leading the house. There were trees! Not like the little stunted trees that line the streets where I was coming from but tall beautiful trees. They are well over 100 feet tall and I know some stretch up to 200 feet.
I was like a child in a candy shop on windy days watching these giants sway back and forth. Nobody told me trees dance. They do. It’s an awesome sight to see. But, there were more surprises. Trees grow. You may be thinking; well…yeah! But, again, it was not anything like what I had experienced before. I’ve read that redwoods grow 3 – 10 feet a year. Mine must be healthy. These grow a good 10 feet a year from what I can tell. My view of a valley from my big window is now a view of trees…lots of trees.
They grow. And they keep growing.
It’s Better to Grow
Once again, the forest has reminded me of a basic truth. It is better to grow than live a stunted life. The law of nature shows us that we are meant to grow and expand not remain stunted. It isn’t just vanity to want to be better; it is survival.
When I look back at what my life’s been like, I can see obvious ‘seasons’ of growth. The 犀利士
biggest of these were in 2 categories. One happened because of life changing events; Becoming a mom, loosing my parents, divorce, marriage, and moving to a new location. These were challenging times. The other was because of what I personally made happen; Learning how to have a life I want, learning how to invest in real estate, starting and closing a business, quitting my secure job, and having the opportunity to build the life I want in a new location.
When it Happens
What I’ve noticed about the different categories is that the first was reactionary. I had to do certain things because of these events. The second group were done deliberately and with intention behind them. Anything who has gone through any one of the events I listed know they changed our lives; but not always for the better. The times I made a conscious choice to ‘grow’ in my knowledge, wisdom, or experience had almost entirely positive outcomes. What’s interesting is that even though having to close a business wasn’t ideal, it ended up be positive in the resolution and experience gained by just having gone through the process.
Living with intent is far superior to living a reactionary life. We have more personal power when we do. Why would we live any other way? The only reason I think of is that we don’t know any better. There are also seasons of rest. But, I leave that topic to another time. For now, I give a nod of appreciation to the forest for this life changing reminder: GROW!
With Growth – W
