Lessons From Roots

 Rain has soaked these large tree roots for most of the summer... on top of a snowy winter and another rainy summer before that. There's been a lot of water, and concerns rise in many places about rivers being near the bank-tops and possible landslides. I find myself thinking about the importance of roots and I'm suddenly realizing something I've somehow missed in depth all this time. Something wise that has escaped me because I simply skimmed the surface and failed to dive. 

All the best things often lie below the surface of anything, don't they?

People talk a lot about roots - the importance of having them and knowing them, returning to them when you lose touch with yourself, getting down to them when there's a problem,  and putting them down when you've found a reason to settle somewhere. But often, the conversation never gets around to what actually goes into the value and function of roots in the first place. And this here is the finer distinction I've overlooked. Perhaps most of us have... 

First off, in order for roots to gain any real hold, they have to go down in good soil. Bad earth makes for shallow root systems that are easily pulled up when storms or any severe weather takes place. There is nothing healthy and strong and solid enough for them to dig into, so the tree either eventually just dies or it gets knocked over rather quickly. At best, its growth is hindered. It becomes under-nourished. Maybe our hearts aren't all that unlike that, too. Unless we make sure that they find a healthy environment, a solid foundation, to attach themselves to, they will never flourish and will be easily uprooted when challenges come as well as under-nourished along the way. 

Closely associated with that is the obvious yet profound: the roots (which connect to the tree) must be planted somewhere within their natural habitat. You won't plant a tree that's designed for the rainforest in a desert, neither will you plant a cactus in the frigid north. Things won't flourish or grow unless they are cared for and placed where they will thrive, and people are no different. You can't expect yourself to become your fullest and best person if you're trying to establish roots in a space that just isn't meant for you. It's not what you were built for. Certain people, like certain types of trees, are made for certain sorts of seasons and weather in the proverbial sense. Now, all of us have to survive some type of abnormal conditions along the way but some just seem to be naturally built better to handle those. Personalities and experiences dictate a lot of this too but the principle still stands that environment is everything and you won't see the results you want in your life if you're not taking personal disposition and habitat into account. 

Many of us sort of grasp the idea of roots running deep, whether it be familial heritage and traditions, moral non-negotiables, or community you've chosen to take residence in. However, I don't think we always realize that roots aren't always about just going down deep where we are and making sure it's the right place. Roots also grow outward, and they grow together. Maturing and developing isn't just about our own benefit; we need to be going deep and wide alongside others who want the same things. We need to be connecting our souls because a network of roots is always harder to pull up than a single set that's been growing strictly by itself. Each tree is still its sovereign, individual entity but the fact that they are tied in community with one another means they draw strength, share nourishment, build resistance. Together, they can withstand a lot more than if they remind apart. Perhaps we should take note of that more. 

Also, roots provide for other creatures and habitat. Things like various moss and plant life and fungi grow often on tree roots, creating sources of food and moisture storage for forest animals. The roots allow these other wood-residents shelter and nutrition and even make it possible for some humans to live off the land. The roots produce their own little live-culture with organisms and microbiological life at the tiniest and almost imperceptible level but which helps to release certain things into the eco system that prove very vital to sustaining other types of life. How would it change us if we realized that the investments we are making in our own growth are intended to create a life-giving source for others? How would it impact our life-moves if we remembered that we're building for more than just our own good? Our hearts and the output from them send things into the world that are essential contributors to the human race. What we allow to grow out of us and go out of us could end up being life-saving for someone else. 

See, roots are so much more than just something annoying we trip over when taking a walk through the woods. They're something to be incredibly grateful for and proud of. Roots - those things largely beneath the surface - hold things together. They allow new life to be created. They allow living things to be sustained. When giving what they need to thrive, roots are a vital part of keeping the natural world intact and happy. Yet most of us walk right on by them. Fail to appreciate them. And sadly, maybe we're that way about the roots of our inner lives as well. Perhaps we're not tapping into our personal potential on the root scale as we should or maybe we're just not fully valuing the community of roots that we've been given the chance to grow with. Maybe we're in bad soil and need a transplant or we're the wrong kind of tree for the wrong kind of place. 

Truth is, roots matter, and so do you. Understanding roots allows you to consider what sort of life you're building and what sort of life you're letting build you. Just like roots play an important role in the overall workings of our eco system and the earth it sustains, you have a very special place in the human story - a connection to the larger network of roots that is vital. You give out qualities and gifts that nobody else quite can and you need to pick the right place, the right people, and the right ways to cultivate that so the world gets to enjoy the best of what you have to offer. 

Roots may seem like humble, unimportant things but I think it's high time we take a second to appreciate what they actually give us. Maybe we need to begin doing that as human beings, also.