Pine Trees vs. Palm Trees

I have this weird thing where my brain can only express its thoughts through analogies-- and sometimes they only make sense to me, but that's okay!

So here's one analogy describing my life as of late.

I tend to be a bit of a pine tree when it come to change that I don't have any control over. I mean I live in Utah so they are everywhere. They seem to grow in the most unlikeliest of places, the places that you look at and think, "Why and how did that tree grow there?" See the picture below for an example!

 

Why would this pine tree grow out of a boulder? There are no other pine trees around it, or really any plant life. There doesn't seem to be a water source close by. So WHY?

Well sometimes I can understand those stubborn pine trees. I have a comfort zone, and I like to be in charge of my comfort zone. I like to decide when I leave it, how far I go out of it, when I can return to it. However, on occasion, life doesn't give me any consideration when it comes to change. It feels like life simply plops a big pile of change on my front door, rings the door bell, and leaves it there for me to take in without any warning or explanation.

I don't take that kind of change so well, even if it is a good change. If it isn't on my terms, I dig my heels right into the consistency my life has at the moment and hold on to it for all it's worth. Just like a stubborn pine tree that grows in the crack of a boulder, it doesn't make sense, but it's where I want to be!

For the record, I don't recommend this kind of reaction to change. It doesn't make my life easier, and it sure makes change a lot more dramatic and painful for me. 

Now to set the record straight, I enjoy change! I don't mind doing something unplanned... as long as it doesn't disrupt my other plans :) I have had the most incredible experiences in my life thanks to change. But to be honest, they were changes that I made in my life, that I WANTED to make in my life. Does it sound like I have control problem?.... yeah... maybe I do :)

So I served as a missionary in Los Angeles for 18 months of my life-- and during that time I was undergoing MAJOR change; both wanted and unwanted change. I was taking in a lot. Fortunately for me, I got a break from looking at pine trees and was surrounded by Palm trees.

I love palm trees. One reason being that they are a sign of warmth; and for a girl who doesn't do cold, I would love to always be in the presence of palm trees. But more important than the climate they grow in, is how they gracefully adapt to their surroundings. For months I watched these palm trees sway in the wind as if they were made for it, made for a little tossing to and fro on occasion. 

This is a picture I took one evening of an area of palm trees I looked at on a daily basis. I saw them weather all kinds of winds and rains. These trees were flexible. They rolled with the punches. Dealt with whatever cards they were dealt. 

These palm trees were actually moved a few months later to a different part of the Los Angeles Temple grounds. And guess what? They did just fine. They were in a better location, right next to the temple.

Sometimes when life throws that change, I repeat in my mind, 

"Just be a palm tree, just be a palm tree..."

Silly I know. 

I've found that it takes me about an average of six months to deal with major changes in my life. Well I've been married for 7 months, and I'm doing great! I finally feel adjusted to my life. But the Lord ALWAYS (and I mean always!) keeps me on my toes.

Dan just announced that we are going to be here in Logan for three more years due to some changes in the frequency his classes are offered. Well... this ruined my WHOLE plan of being out of this freezing, isolated, place called Logan by next spring. We're rethinking a lot of things and probably going to be making some changes in our lives.

Sure I've cried, been frustrated, felt a little bitter. But if I'm ever going to learn to embrace change, I suppose now is the time. 

So here begins my adventure of being a Palm Tree until Spring of 2016!

A Palm Tree... trying to survive in Logan, Utah... for three more years... this should be interesting!