Recently we had winds of over 50 mph for most of the day. And without even looking outside, I knew what that was going to mean; pine nettles all over the place and I’m thinking about 25 bags of nettles to rake. Which got me once again thinking about the question I’m going to ask Adam when I die and get to heaven. “Adam, I’m not questioning your judgement, but when you were naming everything in the Garden of Eden, tell me your logic behind calling them Evergreen trees? Because all those nettles on the ground don’t look green to me?” It’s a question I’ve been asking for 10 years since moving to our home. And this time I got an answer… “Al, to grow you have to shed the old, dead things in your life to allow growth to take place. Old things are dying gradually every day in your life, but to mix it up; sometimes a lot of things get discarded with a strong wind.” Pine nettles need to drop before the new growth can take place. And it just not the falling on the ground, the nettles still need to be hauled away.
In hiking we all have our favorite trails. We may venture out and try something new once in a while, but then a wind/storm comes along; taking out a section of a trail or closing it permanently. It forces us to try something new and unexpected that we may have never tried before. It can create new opportunities for seeing new trails and how they connect with other trails. For example, there are lookout points on Section 16 and Rocky Mt. on the east side of Pikes Peak where you can stop and see how trails connect together.
In my personal life, some of my dead nettles are my anger. I think I’m doing a pretty good job of discarding my anger, letting things roll off and not get to me. Then a wind (event) comes along and shakes everything; causing a lot of anger to come out at once. The wind stops, I see the mess the anger has caused and it’s time to clean it up. Make the amends and ask for forgiveness.
In work, we can get into a rut, knowing deep inside we need to do some career improvements, but we ignore the signs. Then a storm (layoff, industry shift, etc.) comes along and forces us to look at and shed our old skills and habits that aren’t effective anymore. Thus, giving us a fresh perspective on allowing new growth to take place.
A pine tree will drop 25 to 35 percent of its’ nettles every year. Image what having 25 percent growth would look like in your life. We all need to be shaken on a regular basis and drop the old things in our life; so new growth can take place. What are the things you are holding onto that you need to let go of in your hiking, personal, and work life? Where do you need growth to take place?
Al Andersen 