Dig Deep

Magnificent Tree

Laguna Beach again, at the patch of ocean front where I took that incredible photo of the Pacific Ocean. I have no idea what type of tree this is, but I was completely captivated by the immensity of its root system, so vast and extensive that not even the earth could contain it. I imagine this tree's stages of life, even though I don't know its type. I imagine that it took decades to achieve its height and to grow its root system, a slow, steady persistence through seasons of sun and drought, rain and floods, hot weather and chilly weather (or at least as cold as it gets in southern California). It must have involved an unwavering tenacity to grow and thrive, even in the midst of environmental challenge.

About 15 years ago, I lived briefly in Boulder, Colorado. Positioned right up against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder draws a lot of nature-lovers and seekers. It was the perfect place for the founding of Naropa University, a Buddhist university devoted to the liberal and fine arts. I remember having a discussion with a woman about personal transformation, and she made the statement, "Real change takes time." That statement held the paradoxical magic of being both banal and profound. We live in a culture that gravitates towards quick and easy solutions in the pursuit of one-dimensional bliss. But the long, steady growth of this tree seems to counter our pop culture narrative favoring the shallow and immediate. Real change takes time. You work slowly at it, deliberately, through time and adversity, developing the necessary root system to dig deep, building the firm foundation to support the great branching-out. It takes time.