For the last six years I have always been inspired by a tree that randomly started growing out of a pipe. No one planted it. No one tended to it. No one made sure it was receiving enough water. Yet, year after year it continued to grow. Now the tree stands close to 12 ft tall. When it started it was the size of a small twig, and I never thought it would survive. The image of the picture below represents so much more to me than just a random tree growing in a PVC pipe. It represents how resilient trees can be, despite the environment or start to their life. It reminds me that even in a hostile environment, with little nurturance, trees continue to grow.
At Grounded Roots Counseling Services, we believe we can learn valuable lessons from trees. The message we convey to clients is no matter your circumstances, no matter your environment, we believe you can still grow in health and balance, overcome whatever challenges were or are presented to you, and you can thrive to live the healthy life you envision.
Not only do trees grow in less than ideal environments, they also have key adaptive skills that allow them to continue surviving. A tree will position its branches in creative ways to reach the most nutrients. It knows where the healthy elements are and adapts in order to receive the best chance at survival. It is important for us to focus on the healthy areas in our own life. If this is an area you are struggling to identify, it is never too late to pay attention to the things needed in your life to increase positive resources. Some examples could include friendships, relationships, hobbies, interests, spiritual connections, exercise, or time in nature.
Trees will bend and move with tension, rather than hold firm and break. Bending before you break, in my opinion, is the hardest skill to adopt. The lesson we can take away from this is how important flexible thinking can be. I never realized how much I struggle with this concept until I started to teach it to my two boys. The times I have “stuck” thinking in how life “should” or “shouldn’t be” are the times I struggle the most. When I can have flexible thinking and realize the importance of moving with life, rather than trying to fight it, things seem to go much smoother. My initial reaction is not to be flexible. It is a mindset I work hard to incorporate and have had to learn and practice this attitude in order to be successful utilizing it.
Lastly, there are roughly 160,000 different species of trees in the world, and all have their own unique beauty, ways to survive, and importance in their ecosystem. It is important to remember that about ourselves. We each have things to offer and a purpose for living. I always start off my initial session by saying, “Sometimes we can focus too much on the problem or what is wrong. I would like to know what your strengths and interests are.” I do this for a very specific purpose. When we shift our focus from “what is wrong” to “what I have going for me,” we learn valuable strengths we possess to help us withstand the painful and difficult moments. We encourage you to take time routinely to check in with yourself and celebrate your diverse areas of strengths.
The following quote is what inspired our name and logo design. It will always serve as a daily reminder on how we wish to live our own lives and the counseling practice message we plan to embody.
