Once upon a time there lived a very small tree. Forged from the forest floor, it happily took root among a menagerie of forest friends and its family of mighty trees.
At a young age, not even a sapling in the eyes of most, it was harvested and taken into a home on the edge of the forest. There, the very small tree was provided with a beautiful pot for its dwelling, food, water, and plenty of sunshine. Its caretaker doted on it with methodical love and affection.
The very small tree, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be living a very fine life, indeed.
Over time, however, the pot became cramped and crowded. Rather than move the very small tree to a larger dwelling, its caretaker regularly snipped away at its roots. Likewise, as the very small tree reached towards the sky (which seemed the only natural thing to do) its branches were pruned back or forcefully twisted and held down.
As the year’s passed, the still very small tree became accustomed to its limitations and accepted its fate as a bonzai. It basked in the affection of its caretaker and the visitors that looked with awe upon its small and twisted morphology.
The very small tree convinced itself it was better to be admired from the safety of its caretaker’s home than to face the harshness and uncertainties of life as a mighty tree of the forest.
Sometimes though, when the day was particularly beautiful or the pruning particularly painful, the very small tree dreamt about being a mighty tree of the forest.
It thought about how nice it would be to have the vigor to produce fruit to nourish the animals of the forest or the physical stature to provide shelter for their families.
It longed to feel the wind shake its leaves and the rain dance upon it bark…but most of all it longed to express its essence, to be big and mighty, reaching toward the sun amongst a symphony of trees.
Just as the very small tree is confined by the vision of its caretaker, our human potential is restricted by the limitations of our thinking and action.
Too often we place ourselves in situations too restrictive, sequester the breadth of our consciousness, and cut short our growth for the sake of creating a spectacle for the approval of the outer world.
The constancy of change is the only certainty of life. Consequently, our true nature is to grow and evolve along the way.
If we have not been living in alignment with our inner nature, it may require some “digging in” to understand why we’ve made the choices that have led to this moment, and likewise, some “digging out” to relinquish that which does not serve us.
Our purpose in life is not to be found in a moment of success or failure, but rather in the culmination of a lifetime of honoring and attending to our inner nature.
As we learn to value the unique gifts bestowed upon us, we can begin to create a self-approved life. By living in alignment with our full potential, we fulfill our deepest desires and no longer cling to external sources for validation. From this place, we can meaningfully extend ourselves in service to others.
When our existence strengthens and nurtures not only ourselves, but the world around us, we will have indeed become mighty!
How often do you stifle your inner nature for the sake of perceived safety? How much suffering do you create for yourself by resisting who you are or who you long to be?
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