As we look around our homes we can always see room for improvement. For those who have had any type of remodel we understand the full impact of what that can mean to our sanity and lives. We spent time picking out the right details like wall color and tile. We may have even shopped for the just the right towels to hang once the project was finished. The problem is that we only envisioned the end product and how much better our lives would be with a new kitchen, bathroom, addition, etc. We didn’t take into account just how messy and disrupted our lives would become while we go through the process. You may have scheduled a period of time to ‘get things done’ only to find out that something went wrong or plans had to be changed; all of which cause unplanned expenses and delays.
As I sit listening to the banging of ‘progress’ and a stranger in coveralls crawling around under the floor to rewire my phones, that have been down for MUCH longer than expected, I realized how this construction project parallels the process of making changes in our personal lives.
Almost every day I walk through the forest on the same trail with Duke. I’ve been up here for a little over 10 months and I see how much it changes depending on the weather or season. With time also comes a familiarity. It seems I see more and more of what lies on my path that I hadn’t noticed before. There is evidence of logging over the years. Redwood is sought after for its strength and beauty. But something happens when a redwood is cut down. It doesn’t die. As a matter of f犀利士
act, it creates multiple trees from its root system that spring up from all around the main tree stump. And within the rotting stump there is such an abundance of life from other seeds that have landed in the richness of the decaying wood. Again nature has taught me that not all events that seem to cut us down will destroy us. We, like the redwood, will rise up again. Not on the same path that we were on before but born of our past and our experience to create a new life. And with the doing away with what was, create opportunity for new understanding and personal growth for those around us.
In order to change things for the better, we have to deconstruct the old ways. And it can get really messy. We may have unhealthy behaviors that we finally recognize after being beaten down by them time and time again. That’s the first step and some would argue the hardest. In hindsight, I would say it is the most painful. It’s like walking into a wall over and over and not understanding why your face hurts all the time. When you finally see the wall, aka behavior, you have to decide what to do about it. Unfortunately this part isn’t easy either. Words like frustrating, disheartening, painful and crazy making come to mind. Thankfully, words like understanding, anticipation, acceptance and peace also enter the picture.
Will it make it easier to go through the process knowing you will experience a roller-coaster ride of emotions and discoveries before you get through? I believe it will to some extent. But just like life itself, you have to keep moving forward, hold on, enjoy the ride as much as you can, and trust that you are on the path you should be. And if you find a detour sign, trust you’ll find a new path that’s just right too. So let the destruction begin!
