I hope you all had a beautiful holiday, and I’m wishing you a gentle, grounded New Year.

I spent part of last week away with my family in the Midwest. The weather was surprisingly mild, and I found myself drawn to long stretches of time in nature.

Being among the trees stirred something in me, a reflection on love and the quiet wisdom trees offer us about how love truly grows.

For a long time, I lacked staying power in my own life.

I saw no wisdom in the tree.

When things became difficult, my instinct was to leave—to start over, to find a fresh beginning somewhere else. I believed movement meant growth, and I mistook change for transformation.

I didn’t yet understand the strength, patience, and maturity required to stay rooted.

Eventually, I began to see that all my changes were simply rearranging the same puzzle pieces. I wasn’t willing to go down to the root.

I wasn’t becoming the woman required to hold what I said I wanted year after year.

After many mistake

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