Lessons from the Ginkgo Tree

While overseas for work, I had some spare time and I had just met a wonderful therapist who had offered me a hypnotherapy session. I was battling some limiting beliefs about worthiness, and wanted to get to the root of it. 

I imagined that I was walking along, and came across a bright yellow tree. As I got closer, I found myself as part of the tree - looking up at patches of blue sky, with white light streaming through the leaves. It was beautiful and magical and felt very aligned for me, even though I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to be learning from the tree. But I figured I'd get there. 

 After our session I went for a walk, and lo and behold, I saw the EXACT same tree. I had walked past this tree a several times on that trip, but that day it seemed different. It almost knocked me over with how bright it was. It was BRIGHT yellow - like sunflower yellow - and it almost glowed in contrast to the grey sky, and the brown, wet background. 

 It made me think - wow, how beautiful things become as they are about to hibernate for the winter. 

 One of my inner critic's favourite lines of attack on me is that I'm just a flash in the pan. I'm not consistent enough, not steady enough, not dependable enough. She tells me that I show up, bright and flashy, all positive and sunbeam-ish, but as people get to know me, and soon enough they will find out the TRUTH about me. That ultimately, I'm not enough. I'm not all that. I'm small. 

 As I pondered this tree, and it's flamboyant showboating, I started to think about me, and my life, and how I show up. 

 No matter what the nasty bitch in my head says, one thing I know about myself is that I actually am quite consistent in many facets of my life. I show up consistently creative, loyal to living life with purpose, on purpose, always willing to empower others. I'm not afraid to call people out on their shit, or to give people a second chance. I'm consistent to my values, my growth and rooted in my dedication to becoming the best version of me. I've been married for 17 years, together for 25 years for crying out loud! If that's not stick-to-it-iveness, I don't know what is. 

 And, sometimes I need to hibernate. 

 lThere's a lot we can learn from trees. 

• Trees only grow strong through adversity - wind makes them stronger, rain nourishes them, bark grows stronger and sturdier around new branches. 
• Trees don't compare themselves to other trees. They don't look at each other and judge each others. Even WE don't look at trees and think "man, that one's doing a bad job." Every single one of them has a value and worth and a purpose unto themselves. That bright yellow tree doesn't look at a cedar and wish it could keep its leaves. If it did, it couldn't grow new ones next year. 
• Trees have seasons and cycles - just like every living thing. Some have long cycles, some have short. Some bloom early in the year, some wait until later. Some lose their leaves and some keep them all year. They need rest and sleep just like we humans do, to be able to sustain the good and the bad days.
• Trees provide shelter, and protect the ground beneath them and the creatures on their branches. They produce life giving oxygen that makes earth sustainable. They stabilize the ground, and their fallen leaves give back to the earth and add sustenance and depth to the dirt. 
• Trees are "social creatures" that communicate with each other in cooperative ways through networking, sharing information and leaning on each other for support.

Whether you're in a growth, stability, showy or hibernation mode, you're in the right place. We are cyclical beings, and there's no shame for being exactly where you are. 

 I looked it up - and that yellow tree I saw is actually a ginkgo tree, a species of tree that has persisted since the jurassic age. It's one of the oldest living species in the world, and is considered a living fossil. They are celebrated symbols of hope, strength, and resilience, and are known as an expert in survival. I can't believe I've never seen it before!

 It never ceases to amaze me how the message always arrive at exactly the right time. If that's not consistency I don't know what is.