This is for those who feel buried beneath the weight of uncertainty,
Who wonder if they have what it takes to become who they are meant to be.
It's for the dreamers who are struggling,
The ones who have faced one too many storms and are beginning to doubt their light.
If you have ever felt lost,
If you have ever wondered if all the effort is worth it,
This is for you.
Find a comfortable seat,
Or maybe continue in your walking meditation.
And if you are safe and supported to do so,
Gently fluttering the eyes closed,
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
And a slow exhale out of the mouth.
Imagine a tiny seed,
Buried deep in the darkness of the soil.
It is cold,
Damp,
And alone.
To the seed,
This place seems like an end,
A place where light is just a distant memory.
But within the heart of this tiny seed,
There is a quiet knowing,
A whisper.
It knows it is destined to become a mighty tree.
At first,
The seed doesn't understand what it must do.
It only knows the darkness pressing in on all sides and the weight of the soil above.
But something within it refuses to stay hidden.
The seed begins to change.
A small root pushes downward,
Searching for stability,
While a tender shoot reaches upward,
Hoping for light.
Growth is slow,
Painful even.
Each inch forward feels like a struggle,
And there are moments when the seed wonders if it was meant to grow at all.
Harsh winters arrive,
And the tender shoot is battered by wind and cold.
Summers bring scorching heat,
And the little saplings' leaves wither under the relentless sun.
But somehow,
Through the trials,
It survives.
With time,
The seedling becomes a sapling,
And then a young tree.
Each season brings new lessons.
The harsh winds teach resilience,
The summer heat teaches endurance,
And the rain teaches gratitude.
The tree learns to release its leaves in autumn,
Not as a sign of failure,
But as a preparation for new growth.
There are times when it is forgotten,
Standing alone,
Its branches bare and shivering,
But there are also moments when the sun's light warms it,
And birds rest in its branches,
Singing songs of joy.
Those are moments of connection,
Of beauty.
But the tree learns not to depend on them for its identity.
Beneath the surface,
Where no one sees,
The tree's roots stretch and intertwine with those of other trees.
When it is weak,
Those unseen connections offer support,
Sharing nourishment.
When a storm comes,
The depth of its roots keeps it standing.
The tree learns that it cannot control the seasons,
But it can choose how deeply it roots itself.
It can choose how it stretches toward the light,
No matter the darkness.
As the years pass,
The tree grows taller,
Its branches spreading wide,
Its leaves reaching for the sky.
It has weathered storms,
Endured droughts,
And shed countless leaves.
But it has also flourished.
Its very existence is a testament of resilience,
To hope,
And to the quiet,
Unstoppable power of growth.
You are that seed.
Within you is the quiet knowing of who you are meant to become.
Life may bury you in the darkness.
It may press you down with weight you didn't ask for.
Seasons of struggle and hardship will come.
But remember,
Like the seed,
You have everything you need inside you.
Stretch toward the light.
Dig deep into the roots of your purpose.
Let the seasons shape you,
But never let them define you.
One day you will stand tall,
A testament to perseverance,
A shelter to others,
A symbol of all that is possible when you choose to grow,
No matter what.
Believe in your heart,
Tiny seed,
The quiet knowing,
The whisper,
That you are destined to become a mighty tree.
Be well.
