Testimony of Leaves

Behold a leaf. A single leaf. So fragile it tears like paper, crushes in your hand to a moist stain, sharply fragrant. Dry, it burns swift and crackling like gunpowder. Held to the light, its veins are like bone work in silhouette. Eden bleeds through.

This single leaf, joined to the tree, drinks poison from the air and spills out oxygen. It tilts to catch the sun, to distill heat and light down the shadows, down to the roots and back up to limbs. To shade the earth. To feed me and you.

A leaf. One single leaf. There are billions upon billions - dancing on tree branches, leaning into the sun, falling to the ground, crumbling into the soil and nourishing the mother from which they came.

It is a marvel really. We live amidst surpassing wonders. It is the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, the skin we inhabit, the way our insides tick and pulse and spin all on their own.

It is these myriad amazing things - toes and eyes, leaf veins and cloudbursts, bedrock and ozone - that by their very constancy and durability wear familiar. The sheer steadfastness of things that surround and uphold us are dull with the caking of the ordinary.

But there is veritable wisdom in nature. In the trees and the sky, the sand and sea and rock that are the immortal backdrop of our lives. The essence of every living thing is embedded in who we are. What the sky knows of passing clouds, we know of passing heartache. What the birds know of air brushing under their wings, we know of the rush of true freedom. What the uppermost tree leaf knows of light as it spreads open for the first time, we know of hope and desire and rebirth.

We all have known moments like this, moments beneath the grid of time - where the soft wind moving through the tree branches is today and one hundred years ago. Where the world is wet with anticipation simply because the sun rises anew each day. Moments without struggle or strain, without manipulation or grasping or safeguarding. There is just the natural unfolding of things. The rhythematic beat of the seasons. The testimony of leaves.

Life. Done Simply.

Would I be so audacious after my last post to make this statement: Life is simple.

Yes. Yes, I would.

Because when you get down to it – when you really slice through the “business” of living and all of its ramifications and perpetual blabber, there is a clear, unscathed, profoundly distinct and brilliant simplicity that is so effortless and elementary it is almost laughable.

There is no doubt, the business of living is noisy. We go around the world everyday with intense purpose. We drive here and there and get things done. We go to work, shuffle papers. We go home, clean the nest, shuffle dust. We throw parties. We plan vacation. We live our lives, do what we do and then we sleep. It is as ordinary as that.

But there is this for consolation: the quiet moments – off the grid – where our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give us everything we’ve ever imagined. It is singular perfection, and it is perfect because it so clearly promises more. Herein lies the secret to living simply. Herein lies the key to finding happiness.

You must hold onto the promise of more. You must hold onto hope for the extraordinary. You must believe it is there, waiting for you, off your radar screen, off your calendar, outside of your 9-to-5 dress code bullshit comfort zone.

You must know what you want and you must chase after it with raging passion and veracity. Dream about it. Feel it. Feel it fill you up. Do what you love. If you don’t like something, change it. Lean into what feels good. Lean into what feels good. Travel often. Get lost. Find yourself. Go out and start creating. Live your dreams. Share your passion. Inspire others. Lead with your heart. Quiet your mind. Take chances. Love your husband, your wife, your mother, your brother with all you are made of. Love the ocean and the rain and the god damn ice machine. Love your life because you choose to.

Choose to.

There it is: Choose to. There is no destination in life. There is no answer to arrive at. You are the creator. The business of life will take care of itself. The choice for happiness is always yours. Choose to create a life that is full of moments that lift you up and set your heart on fire. Choose the promise of more. Choose the promise of the extraordinary and it will come. Simply.