When I returned to the beach in September after my four month cross-country Heart Sparks Road Tour, I had every intention of sitting right down and writing about the adventure.
But I didn’t.
After two months of not writing I realized it was too soon, that I hadn’t yet lived beyond it, to know what story I really wanted to tell.
Then I thought, well, I could at least get started on the book proposal.
But I didn’t.
And I’ve been beating myself up big time for the last six months because I still haven’t started.
And yet, this book proposal, this book, is a key component to the future I’m visioning.
And so I bombard myself with questions: Am I being lazy? Why am I avoiding this? What is the resistance to this thing I want most?
And then last week, on my yoga mat, I set an intention for patience and compassion. I’ve been cranky with others and realized it is because I’ve been cranky with myself.
And I stepped back into the observer role and examined the book proposal with a bit more compassion.
And I realized that just because I am not sitting down at the computer with a document titled Book Proposal, doesn’t mean I am not working on it.
I AM working on it, I’m just not writing it yet. Because I don’t have all the pieces.
But each time I tell the stories, each time I remember a campsite or a person I met, I get a bit clearer about the book that I want to write, the story I need to tell.
And I remember about the bamboo tree.
The bamboo tree is one of the strongest plants in the world. It is also one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Some species can grow as much as 4 feet in 24 hours.
But when a bamboo is first planted, there may be no visible growth for the first 3 -5 years.
This is because the plant is establishing it’s root systems so that it can support itself when it begins its phenomenal growing spurts.
We may not THINK anything is happening, we may not SEE any progress. But that’s what building a foundation is all about.
When we plant a new seed in our lives, we don’t know how long it will take to grow. But if we want it to bloom we need to water the seed, give it light and love and tend the ground around it so that it has the best possible growing conditions.
And we need to have patience and faith that, like the bamboo, it will, indeed grow.
I remind myself that the seeds have been planted for this new book and, by taking this time to see the bigger stories, I will write an amazing story.
What seeds have you planted?
How do you maintain patience as you wait for it to bloom?
Would you like some support and coaching? Email me and well set up a session.
Dear Ruth, You know how long I’ve been growing my root system…and how “coincidental” that you’d use bamboo to make your point as I adore bamboo. Well, thought I’d share that after feeling more challanged than usual, but wanting to applaud another’s great accomplishment, I sent her an e-mail. This morning I received her response:
“Thank you so much! I really admire your work and constantly hear such great things about you! You are truly amazing.”
Need I say how wonderful I feel at a stickier wicket time than usual to receive such lovely words? They not only do not say to me, “Stick with what and where you are,” but they support and enrich my heart, mind, and soul to perservere on my path as patiently and trustingly as possible.
How wonderful! you reached out with such grace. and grace came back to you! Giving, honoring others–it usually comes back ten fold! Soak it up, my friend! And keep tendering the bamboo!