I recently reconnected with an old friend, Rev. Marty Bacher. While visiting, Rev. Marty reminded me of something that I had said to him in 1994 when I was assisting him start a new church in the area. Rev. Marty said that he would never forget my words, “Marty, let’s let this be easy!”
I needed that reminder. We are all so bombarded via email and Internet with the activities of hordes of people living their dream. I had begun to feel overwhelmed by the possibilities of connecting with others to get my message out.
I then had an experience that would forever change my life. I have a very green thumb, or maybe, as a friend once said, “Joy you don’t have a green thumb, you have a green body!” I had planted a pomegranate tree at the corner of my patio. A few months later I turned the patio into a greenhouse. As the little tree grew, holes were made for it to be able to exit through the fiberglass roof. When the tree grew to over 20 feet tall, I began to encounter an issue. There were electrical lines going beside the tree, and it was so huge that the trimming of the branches began to be an ongoing thing.
One day I noticed that the branches were once again touching the wires. I thought, “Man I just had those trimmed in April.” I didn’t want to deal with it so I ignored it. Bad move.
We had 70 mph winds come through in a storm. The branches put so much weight on the electrical wires that the housing connected to the electric meter was at a 45 degree angle instead of being vertical. Thank goodness it didn’t rip the wires right out of the meter!
I apologized to the tree and told the tree that it was time for it to become mulch. I called the man whose crew helps me take care of my trees. They were supposed to come on a Sunday afternoon. No crew. I called the crew, and was told they would be there the next day. No crew the next day. This went on and on and I was getting frustrated, judgmental, and negative about the whole thing. 12 phone calls, 3 days, and still I had branches on my electrical wires. Every time the wind blew I felt nervous and was in angst.
Then I remembered the “Let’s let it be easy” wisdom. I went into my quiet space and realized that I had gotten embroiled in a power struggle about this tree. I simply opened my heart and visualized the tree being gone in love and joy and ease.
About an hour later, I was 5 minutes away from leaving for an appointment, and the crew showed up. No forcing, no “I am going to make this happen.” They just showed up. They removed the branches and all was well.
I was left with a valuable lesson. When I find myself in a power struggle with a situation, I can only create discomfort. I am not in the flow. It is my job to hold the intention for what it is that I desire, and then relax, release and let go.
When I continue to affirm “Let it be easy” I remember that my job is to hold the intention. All the pieces will fall into place at the proper time and in the best possible way.
