atreesvoice

The other day in the grocery store deli, an unsuspecting woman suggested I “take a number.” This request caused me to bend over at the waist, put my head in my hands, and chant ‘I hate it here’ four times.

On a literal level, this reaction was due to my dislike of wasting the paper that the numbers are printed on, in order to create a system that robs people of their own responsibility. When learning to stand in line back in kindergarten, weren’t we also being taught how to be considerate of the others around us? On top of that, this system barely works, as the numbers rarely match up to the one on the board.

My life is centered around the idea that everything can be seen symbolically. The metaphor represented in line that day was the true root of my breakdown. Simply put, what I saw was an apathetic population, relying blindly on an ineffective system, in order to receive processed nutrition.

This experience left me with a sense of gloom and hopelessness. I had the choice to see this emotional force as a weakness to overcome, or as a message from my depths to make changes. The latter was the only option that felt real. So what then, am I going to do to honor this plea?

My first duty was to go in to the woods, lie down, and allow that which is often referred to as Mother Nature, come through me and refill my bones with peace. It is there where life makes sense. Not because it is exactly fair—some plants overrun others, while predators cut short the lives of their prey—but because it is honest, harmonious and authentic.

While laying with the natural world, I asked what I can do to induce change. My hope of hearing a grand step-by-step plan was not fulfilled. Instead, the silence whispered that my every action is already creating change. Every choice made is honoring that which I find sacred. Whether that reverence is for money, consumption, earth or love.

Although it will be an ongoing process to find honorable actions, my primary choice is to carry with me and share the peace and acceptance that the forest provides me. And from that space, challenge humans to examine their lifestyles. So, I ask you, do the choices you make reflect your inner truth? If not, why do you continue to make them? Intention without action has no meaning. At times it may feel hopeless, choose to evolve anyway. Your actions do make a difference.
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