Roots can trip you up

I was walking my dog recently and nearly tripped on the giant roots of an oak tree pushing and cracking the sidewalk we were on. It was a beautiful tree, but I admit I was pretty annoyed at that root as I tore my shoe on the broken sidewalk. And as I explore some patterns in my life - relationships, career, self talk and more, I find myself reflecting on my roots. Both the beauty and their sometimes aggravating nature.

 Just as they do for plants, our roots shape who we are today. Our roots include our family, our early childhood experiences, and where we physically grew up. They are responsible for much of our growth, our health, and (for me the really annoying part) our biological tendencies to gain weight if we eat too many cookies. Our roots shape every part of our development - childhood, teen years, early adulthood, who we are today. Roots continue to feed us throughout our lives; you can't cut them off even if you don't actively see them anymore. They've shaped how we react to the world around us and hopefully we got enough nutrients from our roots and we grow sturdy and tall. Healthy roots help us manage the hard times - they can dig in deep and have given us solid trunks (not from the cookies in this case).

 Sometimes our roots break through like they did in my sidewalk. I'm discovering how my roots shaped and informed many of my patterns: how I relate and communicate with others, what and how I talk to myself, what I expect in relationships and what I fear and love. At first I was rather irritated - free will, independence and personal accountability are important to me. And I can accept that my roots shaped my determination and my compassion. But what broke through this week is my realization that just like the sidewalk, my roots have contributed to and then literally cracked what I thought were safe and steady paths ahead. I'm grateful for the strong roots I have. And I'm learning to honor and understand the lessons that come with those cracks - what patterns serve me, which don't, and what new ones do I want to craft. Cracked is beautiful.