Not two

It started about four years ago during a season when I was driving often to La Crosse, WI. Along the route was a beautiful dead tree-majestic, like a pillar; and it was striking to me. I named it my favorite tree.

At the same time my youngest, Rowan was 14. I was driving him to the Ski hill every weekend, multiple times. Along our route was another gorgeous, majestic tree. The tree in the picture below. Rowan named it: his tree.

Recently, either due to wind, or the fact that it could be used for firewood, or both perhaps; people that own the field, cut it down. I was emotional when I saw it. For some reason, it hurt.

Rowan is older now and drives on his own, I knew I wouldn’t be with him when he saw the tree was gone. So I called him and let him know. We were all very sad because it’s not what we wanted. It reminded me of something I recently read that touched my soul…

In making decisions, or when something is tugging at your spirit, we usually decide that what we want is good or right. It’s because we’ve been raised to believe there’s only one way. The only way to be happy is getting what we want. And we feel sad, or failure when we don’t get what we want.

But what if not getting what you want isn’t bad? What if “the other side” of things is a beautiful part of life you didn’t see coming? When we narrow things into only two ways, right or wrong; it takes away millions of other possibilities.

I know it’s hard to let go of getting what we “want,” but, for a minute; what if you changed the story your mind makes up about it? What if there were “not two” options? What if there was only one option: accepting what is as being the exact way life should be.

Taking away two sides: right or wrong, good or bad, turns everything into a gift. What if opening your mind takes you to place you never dreamed would bring you joy?

Maybe peace doesn’t come from choosing the “right” path or forcing the outcome to have to be we thought we wanted. Maybe it comes from trusting that life is not working against us, but with us—shaping us, guiding us, refining us in ways our minds could never imagine.

When we stop fighting what is, we stop splitting life into wins and losses. We can see that nothing was wasted. Not the waiting. Not the loss. Not even the detours. Every moment was carrying us somewhere deeper—back to ourselves.

There aren’t two paths. There never were. There is only this one unfolding, inviting us to soften, to listen, and to trust. And when we do, we don’t just find acceptance—we find freedom.

Love always,

Happy Amy