It is so easy to feel “behind” and “not able to do it all”. We are busy. And we have a lot to do. And then things come up. Unexpected things. We can bump up against our personal goals and reach limits that we wish we could just get rid of..why not be superhuman??? Why can’t we do it all? Where does the time go? Why can’t there be more? Why can’t I do more?
Last Sunday afternoon, I felt completely out of balance after a few very busy weeks. Fried actually. I went for a walk in the woods with my daughter. I needed to reset. And I needed to rest.
I was particularly drawn to the beauty of the ferns, just beginning to unfurl. They seemed so quiet and peaceful, and grouped together, just starting to wake up from a New England winter’s nap that seemed to last extra long.
I was reminded of the famous quote,
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished - Lao Tzu
Several weeks ago I went to a restorative yoga class and the instructor said something along the lines of “Allow yourself to be a human being, not a human constantly doing.”
Those ferns, and all of nature, are not meant to be constantly doing. Noticing them caused me to pause. And take a ton of pictures on my phone...:) I was mesmorized by the spiral form. The spiral, too, makes me think about time.
If nature doesn’t rush and everything gets accomplished, then I can follow Her lead and do the same..
Our bodies are wise. If we listen to them, they might whisper “slow down” if we are doing too much.
I found out today that ferns have been growing on our planet for 360 million years! 360 million years of cycling with nature. 360 million years of not hurrying. And just imagine how much has gotten done in that amount of time.. Incredible!
Now when I look at this photo that I took, I see a teeny tiny brown heart to the right of the stem. Do you see it too? At the opposite end of frazzled doing I hear the Simon and Garfunkel song..
I got no deeds to do
no promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you
All is is groovy