April 5, 2024 “Remove your Pine Trees”
I love reading my clients’ journals. I get to learn so much about them. I often compliment Robert on his penmanship but this week I saw this drawing and I knew just from the drawing he could draw. He shared with me some of his artwork and I was blown away. From looking at Robert I would have never thought he would have such a delicate hand and attention to detail, needed for drawing. I know him to be a very hard-working airplane mechanic with such special skills that when a plane has a unique situation that is difficult to fix, they will fly Robert across the world literally to fix the plane.
I had already had high respect for Robert because he would come straight from work to the gym, or he might have had only a couple of hours of sleep and still show up for himself always giving 110% in all his workouts.
Then I read what he said…
“I decided to replace my pine trees with fruit trees around two years ago. I started doing so in increments. Today I counted 9 fruit trees and no pine. I did that in two years. I took the same approach with my body (changing me in increments). I will continue to trust the process.”
He stated that pine is good for paper products and shade, however he wanted to use his land to be beneficial to him and his family. Apple, pear, and more fruit trees are now what’s rooted deeply in the land’s foundation. His son can now go climb a tree in his own backyard and get fresh nourishment from the earth without all those pesticides.
This conversation stayed with me all week because he saw something on his land that could be beneficial if only, he changed his landscape. Let’s let that sink in for a second.
Robert developed a plan, thought it out, implemented the plan and removed a pine tree here and there. Planted fruit trees in increments and now 2 years later with lots of hard work, labor, water, and nutrient rich soil his fruit trees are blooming.
He then compared that journey to his health and fitness journey. This is a lesson we can all learn from. We didn’t get here overnight. We must learn to remove some things in our life in order to flourish. Remove bad eating habits. Remove negative thoughts. Start by adding more; move more, hydrate more, and more self-care. Exercise more patience and grace to allow your fruit trees to bloom to their fullest potential.
Another lesson is you must remove all the shade from your life. We all have some shady friends, family members, and co-workers. Those that do not want to see you win, often tempting you knowing you’re on a health and fitness journey. Or just talking negatively to you. See when you remove all the trees blocking the sun you are now able to see the best areas to plant some positivity in your life. All while allowing the sun to heal, radiate and feed your soul with no shade.
I leave you with this quote. “Give yourself time; time to learn from yourself, time to do great, to live, to love, to learn and time to grow.” ~Tandzile Zwane No Mess
