I’m sitting overlooking South Pond at Savoy State Forest. I came for a two-night getaway at one of their CCC-built cabins, but I decided to pack up a day early and head home. The weather is crappy, I’m not feeling well, and if I’m being totally honest with myself, I’d rather just be home. So, I guess I’m admitting defeat.
I’m disappointed that my trip wasn’t the rejuvenating, nature-filled mini-retreat I had imagined. Instead, it feels difficult and like I’m struggling against things.
Frankly, I’m tired of struggling against things. I’m tired of being tired, and I feel burdened with a chronically ill body that experiences constant fatigue and pain.
But, what if, rather than feeling like pain and fatigue was a burden, I could see it as a blessing? What if, rather than admitting defeat, I opened my heart to honor my truth? And maybe sometimes that truth is being balls-out pissed that I feel shitty. I’d rather just be honest with myself than struggle through the motions.
It’s a constant learning, and if I’m open to it, it can be a blessing. For instance, I now have a better understanding of how to say no, to push toxic people and situations out of my life, to protect my time and energy, and to detach myself from other people’s drama.
So, my trip didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, but maybe I got exactly what I needed.
There is a calm in the steady rainfall and in the misty white shroud clinging to the hills. The wind is blowing across the water, and it doesn’t resist; it simply flows. The hemlock boughs are heavy with rain drops, and there is a gentle patter and rustle of wind and water through the oaks.
I saw a few newts and frogs hanging out as the pond lapped lazily at the shore. They didn’t seem to be bothered by the inclement weather one bit. They just continued to do their respective newt and frog thing.
There is always struggle and suffering in nature. But there is also balance and harmony. Ecologically speaking, we know what happens when that balance gets disturbed. Often times, we continue to disturb it anyway. But in disregarding Nature’s Truth, we create a situation that’s unsustainable.
I am a living being, and I am not exempt from this truth. At times, I will struggle and suffer, and if I choose to disregard my own balance, there will be consequences. So today I choose to listen to my own truth. And as I listen to the softly falling rain and head home to rest in my own bed, I hear the song of Divine Harmony.