#12 Roots

So I had this great conversation yesterday with a co-worker after work as I learned more about her life and at the end of it I said...

"I knew you had roots that ran deep. I knew it before you even shared today. I see it in how you live."

And then I went on to share that I heard that it was proven that trees in an artificial environment won't develop roots because there is no wind and they will then topple over. Now I have yet to know if that is Scientifically true. I looked today and being the non-scientist that I am I found nothing except for that trees with rotten roots will die in a storm. Which probably is another whole blog post that we could make an analogy for...

But. The point is that it is definitely true in people's lives. You know those people before words even come out of their mouth telling you their story. You know that life has thrown some tough stuff and then some at them. You know that they have let those stories create deep roots in their life. Roots that run deep. Roots that don't rot. Roots that mean they grew and will continue to grow.

And so I ask the scary question...do I try to hide from the wind and create a safe environment for myself or do I embrace the wind? Do I have roots myself? Where did my roots come from?

And when the wind comes do I let it make me become the tree that then can be a shelter for others?

And here is the best analogy of all...most wind isn't a huge storm. That would knock us down when we are little saplings. That wind is the one we don't even notice, but it makes all the difference in the world. It's the ways you respond when you are irritated, tired, and hungry. It's how you respond when life isn't fair. When you have to grocery shop. When you get samples at Costco. When you go to DC with a bunch of crazy 8th graders and love it and are wiped at the same time. And how you respond when exhausted that next Monday morning at school with, "it was awesome" instead of focusing on the tough parts. It's how you handle when once again your co-worker doesn't do their part and you are left to figure out what to do anyway.

It's the day to day tough stuff. That gentle breeze that makes our roots grow a little deeper. A bet it happens bit by bit :) Nobody is a tree with roots overnight. Dang. But those roots that run deep. Those are worth living for.