Leaves in Abundance

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I learned something about self-care from my tree friends recently. Have you ever noticed that leaves fall mostly to the ground encircling the trunk of a tree? The leaves fall to nourish mainly the tree they fell from. This scatter, if left to decompose, will create new soil. The nutrients drawn from deep within the earth fall in leaf-form to release much needed nourishment into the topsoil. I have reverence for this cycle.

Trees share. The wind scoops the leaves, each designed to sail, and carries them to neighboring trees and plants. But this is a small percentage of the whole. Most leaves fall neatly over their tree’s roots.

The lesson is not lost on me. We are designed to nourish ourselves first. We succeed together, no doubt. My path is interconnected with yours the way that the roots of trees share information and nourishment, protecting the forest. You and I, dear reader, are influenced by one another in ways that support our leafing out, creating, and co-creating. And still, at the end of the day, you know what you most need, and I know how best to nourish myself.

The falling of leaves is a visual reminder to appreciate the products of our worklove and also to embrace their demise. Both nourish us. Each of us has what we need to transform that which no longer serves us into abundant nutrients that will help us grow what’s next. And each of us has a primary responsibility to clarify and tend to our own needs.

What have you learned recently from trees? And how do you welcome the end of a season in your life?