change, growth and new pathways

Lately, I’ve found myself thinking about change and growth, about the unexpected paths we sometimes take through life, and the new journeys we find ourselves embarked upon.

See, when I was first asked to help lead and shape a center guiding folks in cultivating the mental toolsets to approach and improve their lives from a mindful perspective — I’ll be honest: my initial thought was why me?

I was humbled and honored, of course, but I wondered...how am I qualified to do this work? What wisdom, what personal capacity for growth do I have that could possibly be of use to others?

Around me were folks whose growth and personal development tower; measured against them I am a novice, my own practice and experience hidden in the shadow of their mastery.

That others saw a potential in me I hadn’t considered was surprising. The encouragement of others in my closest circles who encouraged me to take the opportunity, who assured me that this was such a natural fit, was revelatory. And it took a small while, but I realized that yes, this work was something I’d inadvertently, almost subconsciously been drawn to and preparing myself for quite some time.

Through small, meandering steps and ephemeral flickerings of realization, I’d been winding my way toward this path.

The details of the story — the places I found myself and the decisions behind taking certain important turns — are the musings for another time, but the short of it is this: on deeper examination, I realized that I was approaching this all wrongly.

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Something you’ll learn about me, if you stick around for this journey, is that by training and practice, I’m a storyteller. I enjoy a bit of metaphor now and then…so if you’ll indulge me a moment, here’s one I think is apt:

The giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) can grow to become one of the largest, most ancient living things on this planet. Once grown, it is incredibly resilient — its thick bark protecting it from insects and extremes of temperature, its canopy high above the reach of forest fire.

But even this massive tree begins as the tiniest seedling. Whether it develops into its full potential is as much a factor of its environment as it is its innate sequoianess.

We all are on our own journey into mindfulness, resilience, and living our most compassionate, authentically powerful lives.

With exquisite care, we’ll realize our own potential.

With that, I welcome you to Exquisite Caring: Journeys in Mindfulness. Join us here at the Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience as we create a space and environment to explore our own potential by exquisitely caring, mindfully tending to and examining the frameworks of our lives.