Today’s post is going to be a short, but important topic; Why it’s okay to change.
I recently had a memorable experience at Yosemite National Park. It was amazing. The drive to get there was interesting to say the least. I was expecting the way leading to Yosemite as lined with forest and rolling hills, instead I saw this;
Farmland, I was surprised, you surprised? It did change, and when it did, it definitely went all out;
Now, on the trip we went to a place called Mariposa Grove
Home to some of the most beautiful trees in the world: The Sequoias.
We managed to get on a walking tour with one of the park rangers and it was beyond worth it. We learned so much about these beautiful trees, their environment, how they thrive, how they die, and how preservation came to be.
Which leads me to the topic of the post: It’s okay to change
Mariposa Grove was heavily protected against forest fires. Rangers and firefighters did everything they could to protect the grove from these wildfires. For over a 100 years, this was the status quo of Mariposa Grove. Fast forward through time, 1970’s, the forest ecosystem is diminishing, there are less Sequoias and overall growth. In order to save the trees, prescribed burns are implemented.
Wait, did you just say prescribed burns?
Yes, by having prescribed burns, the forest floor is cleared of debris, dead trees and allows new growth. Without these prescribed burns, the forest floors would become cluttered, inhibiting growth and when fires would happen, consider the forest floor a land mine of fuel, the damage even worse. If these burns didn’t happen, sequoias wouldn’t be able to germinate, take a look at their pinecone!
So how does this relate to us?
While the ranger was talking about prescribed burns, I felt an instant connection to the story. I feel like life present us with moments that knocks us down, a literal forest fire that burns us, our ideas, thoughts, dreams, whipped away. We are left with this:
What did you notice first in the picture? Did you see the burned trees first? Or maybe you saw the growth coming in at the ground level. We can focus on the burn, the damaged, whats gone, or we can take the opportunity to start a new. In its place, something better, stronger, more resistant to fires (did you know sequoias have tannin and water based sap that help their fire resistance?) can grow. We can learn, adapt and change accordingly.
With that, change is good! Change is necessary! Change is the way we evolve to survive.
So when life gives you difficult moments, or when all hope seems lost
Just remember that life is setting you up for a new beginning, a new chance to grow a new, stronger, better you to conquer the world around you.
If you ever feel the need for change, don’t resist, embrace the change.
The Golden Gelly Nuggets
1. Change is good
2. Go visit Mariposa Grove, Yosemite, a national park 🙂
3. Don’t hug sequoia trees – their barks are soft and lots of tree hugging damages them
4. Bonus points to the person who can figure out why I included the green butterfly girl 🙂