letting go, lightening up and walking taller

I rooted an avocado pit on my windowsill last spring.  After planting it in soil, it starting sprouting a stem and leaves.  I read that if one makes a practice of removing two of the new leaves, more leaves will grow and this will cause the plant to become fuller.  The first time I practiced this technique, it was challenging.  It had taken SO LONG for this particular pit to root in the first place.  I was scared I'd lose what I'd worked so hard to gain.  Soon enough, though, more leaves sprouted.

A few days ago, our neighbor had a tree in his backyard professionally pruned.  Unlike my avocado plant, it had been obvious that this tree had been in need of some care for a long time.  Instead of being scared, I was relieved (there were drooping branches that would easily break with a heavy snowfall).  When all was said and done, though, I experienced something that was unexpected.  I noticed that the tree seemed much taller than it had before, that my eyes were naturally drawn from the trunk to the very tips of the tallest branches.  Before, my eyes always stopped mid-tree, focussing on the drooping, dying limbs.

This immediately reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by Hans Hoffman: "Eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."  Like the avocado plant, sometimes we are a flurry of ideas and we are so distracted and overwhelmed, we can't hone in and focus.  And just as with my neighbor's tree, we carry a lot of things around in life that naturally cause us to droop or drag us down, that don't serve us anymore.

I know there is a fear in me that if I don't do it all or if I remove what is heavy and cumbersome, I may have nothing left.  However, with a continued practice of "cleaning house",  I have found that I stand taller, that I feel lighter and that I am able to develop more focus.

Is there anything in your life that no longer serves you?  Is there anything in your life you are afraid to clip away, not trusting that what lies ahead is a fuller future?

If you are interested in working on clearing away the clutter and appreciate and enjoy writing exercises, I  have assembled a small workbook in a PDF format titled Breakthrough! Exercises that Create a Shift in Consciousness.  For more information, visit this link.