Nature, Balance and the Storms of Life

As the night slowly came upon Morton Grove on Tuesday, and the trees on the horizon began to hide under the veil of darkness, heavy clouds gathered in the sky bringing along gusty winds, forcing the trees to bow to the forces of nature. 

I watched from my window the spectacle of lightning accompanied by the voice of thunder rumbling into the heavy humid air. The torrential rain hit hard the surface of window, having no mercy on the water drops from heavens, creating an impenetrable veil of wind and rain. It went on for about an hour, then, just as it began, the anger of nature subsided giving way to the ravages and devastation of the mad wind.

Morning came again. Birds were singing as nothing happened and the smell of fresh cut grass impregnated the air with its aroma. I looked around in dismay at the death of nature left behind by Tuesday's powerful storm. Like soldiers on the battle filed, trees were lying fallen all over the streets. Branches, thick and small, ripped apart from the trunks of the old and young trees were evidence of Mother Nature’s fury.

Nature and natural occurring events have the potential of teaching us many lessons in life. Witnessing how strong, powerful trees were unearthed from the roots by the power of wind, I thought about how we can apply to our lives lessons from nature. 

Be strong like a tree and soft like the grass

If we choose to be mindful, through this storm and how nature was affected, we are taught to be strong like a tree when life pours torrential rain of difficulties and winds of challenges on us.

In the same time, we are taught to be soft like the grass, to bend under the circumstances we have no control over. Fallen to the ground was not the gentle grass, but the tall trees that have been around for a long time. Trees are strong with roots ramifying deep into the ground. By the virtue of their design, trees lack the flexibility of the gentle grass which has small roots and a body that can flex under the pressure of the strongest winds. 

Tall trees may fall, but the gentle grass blade will bend and survive.

The mighty trees are too proud to bend and surrender to the power of the winds. Yet, the humble blade of grass will allow the wind to push the tip of its blade and kiss the surface of the earth. The grass can humble itself and accept life with surrendered acceptance of the things it has no power to change. The grass knows it has no power to stand against the angry wind. 

Nature is showing us the way for leading a balanced living. The poetry encapsulated in nature speaks to us through metaphors that can help us open our hearts and minds to the simplicity of messages hidden in the sacredness of life. 

In an organic way, the storm is teaching us the secret of life: Be strong in your convictions and show what you are made of when life calls for it, yet be gentle and bend when is not in your power or is not your place to point.

If we are always like the tall, proud trees, we miss out in life the opportunity of learning new things or take new adventures. We are in danger of being too stubborn and hard on ourselves and others. 

Nature as Balance

Nature always strives for balance. Humans are a microcosm of the outer landscape of nature. Within ourselves we have the potential of being a strong tree and a gentle grass. Becoming aware of these gifts will help us access them with more ease when life calls for it.

So, let us allow nature to teach us its lessons and be like the tall, proud tree and gentle like the grass. Pursue balance, for we need to stand tall, but we must know when to bend. If we don’t learn the wisdom in bending, we will break under the strong winds of life. We can become fearful, depressed or anxious if we can’t tolerate life’s unpredictable circumstances. Yet, if we bend too much we grow to be devoid of personal convictions, not knowing who we are and what we are made of.