Growing Beyond What Happened

What if the bends in your life aren’t proof of what went wrong, but evidence of how you kept growing? This meditation invites you to loosen self-blame, honor what shaped you, and recognize the strength, possibility, and growth that exist beyond what happened.

Transcript

I was hiking the other day. When I saw it. One tree. Standing among hundreds of others. Almost perfectly illuminated by the sun. Its trunk rose from the ground. And sharply turned sideways. Before changing direction again. And reaching straight towards you. The sky. I stopped. Out of all the trees around me. This was the one I couldn't stop looking at. I stood there imagining what could have caused. Such a dramatic bend. The storm. Something falling against it. Something that once stood in its way. I'll never know. But the longer I look. The less interested I became in what was wrong with the tree. And more curious I became. About what had happened to it. Then my eyes followed the drunk beyond the bend. And up. And up. It had adapted. Changed direction. And kept reaching. I admired that. It's perseverance. Its determination. Its uniqueness, And its strength. There is something about the way. It had grown. That made it more beautiful to me. More interesting. More alive. Out of an entire forest. This was the tree I remembered. And then something surfaced within me that I wasn't expecting. I would never look at that bend and think. This was the tree's fault. I wouldn't think. You should have known. You should have grown differently. That would be ridiculous. And yet I've said. Versions of those very things. To myself. I should have known. I should have seen it. I should have done something differently. Maybe you know those words too. And what have you blamed yourself for? Because now. You know how the story ends. I know what that feels like. To look backward with information. I didn't have. When I was living forward. To judge. Who I was then. With everything. I know now. Standing in front of that tree. I could see it's Ben. Without blaming it for having one. And suddenly. . . The way I'd been looking at some of my own bends. Felt different. The tree had been shaped by something. So have I. So have you. And then my eyes went back. Above the bend. That's what stayed with me. Because the bend wasn't where the tree stopped. It was where? The tree. Change direction. We spend so much time looking back. At Where Life Changed. We stop noticing everything in us. I grew after. So bring one of your own bends. To mind. Not the whole story. Just enough to know it's there. Amen. Move your attention beyond it. Notice what came after. What became clearer. Stronger. Parts of you that became more distinctly. Not because what happened was good. Not because you needed it. But because you. Kept growing. That tree. Couldn't grow backwards. Into what had been before. It could only grow. From where it was. And so can you. Now let your body feel that. Feel the ground. Beneath you your shoulders Soften. Release your jaw. To go slow. Feel your ribs Whiten. Your chest. Rise. Again. Notice that subtle lift inside your body. Not foreseeing yourself upward. Just feeling the direction. You're already moving. You are here. Not back there. Here. Your body has carried you beyond things. Your mind still travels back too. And still. Your heartbeats. Your lungs fill. Another breath arrives. Bring that bend to mind once more. You don't need to erase it. You don't need to straighten it. You don't need to make peace with all of it today. Just notice. How much of you exists? Beyond it. Feel your spine lengthen. Your chest open. Your breath move. You cannot grow backward. Into what was. You can only grow from where you are. Directions change. Growth remains. Directions change. Growth remains. You you ♪ Begin to notice your breath again. The weight of your body. The ground beneath you. And slowly return to the space around you. Nothing about your past needed to change. For you to arrive here the bend happened. It's part of your story. But it isn't where your story stopped. And the next time that familiar voice appears. I should have known. I should have done better. What's wrong with me. Maybe you'll remember that tree. And instead of staying at the bend. Your attention might travel upward. Because you are not only what happened to you. You are also. Everything. You became after. May your mind, Body, And spirit be abundant with peace. Curiosity. And the courage to keep growing. From wherever you are. Today. And every day. Until next time. Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you for reminding me I am not what happened to me and I am always growing ✨