Trusting Life’s Timing

There’s this one tree in my favorite park: an old oak that stands there longer than I ever have. It’s a big one, with limbs that bend up, then back, as if reaching for something lost in the clouds. You can never quite see its roots, but we know it’s down there, planted, and strong. Through the years, whenever life feels messy, I’ve walked over under its shade. It’s always been reassuring to know that no matter what the weather is like, that tree stays strong.

More has been learned from that tree about life than learning could have ever expected. It could never go that tall; never, that is, unless not forced and hurried. It was simply a grower of one day-a fool, enjoying its existence. Hence, when the storm clouds broke open, it stretched its boughs up to devour sunlight and pummelled its roots deeper into the earth. And in just sitting there, one learns there were no promises that things would take place when they expect them; all you can do is do your part, and the rest will unfold as it should.

For too long of my life, I held on too tightly to people, plans, or the very concept of how things “should” work out. I figured that if I pushed hard enough, I could hold the party line. But, ultimately, the more we struggle to hold onto something, especially people, the more it will slip away. You can never really make them stay. Instead, those who are meant to be in your life will stay of their own will while those that need to leave will do so. Yeah, they do leave sometimes; that’s the part that really hurts. You want to keep reliving those conversations in your head or see if some other course of action would have avoided all this. But life is all about learning to trust, trust that the ones who belong in your life will stay of their own accord and trust also that when one of them leaves, he does so to create space for something far better.

The tree reminds me that letting go is not the same as giving up. Its branches break or leaves fall; it does not panic. It does not cling to what is already gone. It lets go because it knows that is how room is made for new growth. Letting go of what doesn’t work is, in a sense, opening a window for fresh new experiences. It hurts, but it is not the end. It is a beginning. Now I am going to lead my life like that tree. Let things flow instead of forcing them. Trust that whatever is meant for me will find me once the time is right. Life knows how to guide us where we are meant to be, rather like seeds on the wind. A wait is not always easy, though I have come to believe so. Even if you can’t see it yet, growth is happening.

If you are waiting for something, whether for love or direction or simply for life to turn a page, be assured of this: you are growing, even when that feels impossible. The right people, those right moments will come, and when they do, you shall see; all you went through was leading you here. To that end, just get up and do the day; be patient with yourself. Trust that you are already becoming strong and beautiful, like an oak.