Beauty in the Breakdown

Pedee, Oregon - Photo by Karina Miller

Walking in the winter woods, wetlands, and meadows of the Pacific Northwest quickly brings to mind for me the line "there's beauty in the breakdown" from the achingly gorgeous Imogen Heap/Frou Frou song, "Let Go." The wet, decaying logs, leaves, and mud are messy and dirty and rotten. And they smell incredibly sweet. From them grow the life that surrounds me so completely that I'm entranced, in love with the mossy trees and wild plants that nourish and give shelter, engrossed with the lively singing of the frogs and birds, the wriggling of mice, worms, snakes, and gophers in the ground below, and the awareness of the elk, cougar, and coyotes that have been both seen and heard at times past. I'm so completely sucked into the dual beauty of decay and life. I begin to understand that decay is a natural process--one that happens whether I fight it or not. Can I gracefully let my own decay simply fall to the ground and nourish what is to come? I realize as I walk through the forest that I do not need to cling sentimentally to the past, cut it off, push it aside, hide it, bury it, lose it completely, or mold it forcefully into something new. I can simply let it fall away and recirculate into a stronger more vibrant me.

Is there anything that isn't serving you, that by stopping the fight and letting it fall away, would create more beauty, color, or vibrancy in your life?

Note: This was originally posted in June 2011 and mysteriously disappeared from the blog.