“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
~ Martin Luther

Maybe it’s because spring is finally hitting its stride here in southern Oregon, or maybe it’s because I was just talking with a gardener, but recently I’ve been thinking in terms of gardening metaphors: seeds, plants, and trees, which offer so many great lessons.

For instance, consider some of the qualities of an apple tree that can also apply to our lives:

• It starts as a tiny seed…just like each one of us! And it’s not just our body that starts off small. World-changing inventions and artistic masterpieces start with a tiny kernel of an idea. Epic journeys begin with a single step. Lifelong friendships and romantic relationships begin with that first split-second encounter. In all areas of life, magnificence arises from humble — and often tiny — origins.
• There’s far more to it than meets the eye. In order to grow tall and stand firm, a tree requires a vast structure of roots below the ground. The essential growth processes (photosynthesis, nutrient absorption, etc.) take place largely out of sight. The visible part of a tree (or an iceberg or a business or a creative project or a person) is just a small part of the whole.
• It gains strength as it grows. A tiny sapling can easily be injured or destroyed by a person, an animal, or a storm. So it might require a little extra nurturing and protection in the early stages of growth. The same is true for a newly budding idea, relationship, or project, which is why I often advise people not to share their personal “saplings” prematurely (except with those who will also nurture them).

The lessons from a single tree are seemingly endless, but the one that’s been coming up the most recently for me is this:

You give the world an abundance of gifts just by being yourself and expressing your true nature!

Again, let’s think of an apple tree: Simply by being an apple tree, it provides shelter for birds and other animals, beauty for humans (especially this time of year, when the spring blossoms start to bloom), and apples for everyone — year after year!

And in order to provide these lavish gifts to others, all the apple tree needs to “do” is to simply BE itself!

And that’s really all it can do! At the risk of becoming absurd (or anthropomorphic), an apple tree couldn’t turn turn itself into a pear tree or a rose bush or a tomato plant…no matter how hard it “tried”! Nor does it need to put forth supernatural effort to create apples (or buds or leaves or branches).

Again, it simply needs to be itself.

Yes, an apple tree provides many gifts, such as nourishment, oxygen, and beauty. But it’s not trying to be giving or altruistic or even good. It’s simply expressing the fullness of its nature. It’s just being itself. And by doing this, its natural beauty and gifts overflow — abundantly, naturally, and continuously. It shares its greatest gifts simply by being who it already is!

Just like you.

…

(Photo by Denis Kadackii.)

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