There is a beautiful ancient, wooded estate near our home. A loch sits in the middle with an avenue of ancient trees – birches, beeches, chestnuts and oaks – along its perimeter. Bequeathed to the community some years ago, a Trust now manages the development of the estate which is open to the public.
I often walk there late on a Friday as if to mark the start of the weekend. Yesterday though was different. I went specifically to see an ancient chestnut tree. It was a distinctive figure in the wood. One of its huge branches curved down to eye level creating a low arc as if reaching out to offer help to passers-by. Whenever I walked past, I would lay my hand on the part of the bough I could reach with my palm fitting perfectly into one of its grooves. A reassuring act of connection to this ancient symbol of endurance.
Earlier in the week the enormous hanging branch had cracked in the recent storm and had to be sawn off. I was saddened when I heard and wanted to see for myself how the tree was faring. Expecting to feel distress at the loss of this iconic part of the tree I was surprised to see how upbeat and vibrant the rest of the tree looked! It was an unexpected joy to behold.
John Muir, the Scottish nature conservationist famously said that:
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks”.
Seeing the tree continuing to thrive reminded me that there are times when we have to let parts of ourselves go. Parts that are no longer serving us – whether it be untested assumptions, former ways of being or loyalties that hold us back. It is only in letting go that we can make space for something new. Familiarity and continuity are reassuring but it is in our adaptability that we thrive.
As I have long known – nature as teacher.