Nature always takes her time. Great oaks don't become great overnight. They also lose a lot of leaves, branches, and bark in the process of becoming great. -Andrew Matthews
Many of the quotations and passages that I read about nature have a similar focus--nature does things as nature does things, and things turn out as they're supposed to. And in the process, things of nature go through some rather difficult challenges and trials. But in theory, they always end up where they're supposed to. In my life, I've lost my share of branches and leaves and bark, but I'm okay. I'm doing work that's fulfilling and I'm in a relationship that's very healthy. I live in a home that I love and I have enough to eat, to wear, and to share, and even a lot of excess stuff that I don't really need, but that I do appreciate a lot. If I had given up at the first sign of adversity, if I had become discouraged by the first autumn's loss of all my leaves, if I had found the loss of some branches and bark to be unbearable, I never would have made it to where I am. And if this metaphor from nature is valid for me and can be applied to my life and experiences, it's important that I look for other lessons that nature can teach me. I may not be a great oak one day, but how about a really nice cypress, or a pear tree that bears fruit to share with people and animals? I am going to face obstacles and difficulties, but it's important that I look past them to what I am to become, instead of just what I happen to be today.
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