Why? Y? And Emily Dickinson

This treetop caught my eye as I walked and ran by it a few times this weekend, near the hotel we were staying at. My responses to it ranged from the whimsical “isn’t that interesting?” to the more thought-provoking “fork in the road” symbolism. It also reminded me of Nature’s continuous ability to show us what it can do and how it can teach and reach us.

I wondered if other travelers and passersby noticed this “Y”? I wondered if anyone else paused to take a picture of it? I wondered if no one else noticed it, why not? I was reminded to pay attention in the here and now and to engage all of my senses. What treasures they each are.

I considered the forks in the road of my life.-those times I had choices to make that would direct my path for the next stretch of the journey. As I near completion of six decades of experience here, I can look back with perspective and see that even the forks that took me to difficult places also brought me to the next fork and healthier choices.

Nature knows how to take time, sometimes surprising us, but often just reminding us that most things have their own timeline and shouldn’t be rushed or forced. If we could only grant ourselves and each other this grace.

We want to have the answers, be able to know and understand “why” and “what” and “when” so we can plan accordingly. Too much of this kind of seeking answers and the true intuitions and inspirations get lost in the shuffle and daily grind. Too much seeking and we end up losing instead of finding.

So I turn to the beautiful blue sky that is the backdrop for this tree. When I go outside, I look up, seeing a vastness that tells me I am part of a bigger, much bigger, whole. It is humbling, in a good way, allowing me to get out of my own head and into a more open mindset. The questions tend to fall away, replaced by calm presence. Even if that calm presence only lasts for a few moments, it directs my day more sanely.

Then, in the words of Emily Dickinson: “I dwell in Possibility.”