Joyful Ruins

I looked up this question today: why do some plants have shallow roots?

I was not thinking about plants at all. I was thinking about people and my relationships with them.

I was wondering why they could not go deeper with me or with themselves. Why there was a wall for themthey could not pass, to be more interested or invested.

I turned to nature for wisdom.

Plants have shallow roots when they must adapt to harsh conditions. Staying shallow aids them in utilizing the elements they need to survive on the top soil.

They are not shallow because they want to be. They are shallow because they have to be.

I think this is true for many people They keep shallow with me or themselves because of mental and emotional capacity, because they have adapted to protect themselves that way.

I asked this question to understand how I both care for these relationships and protect myself within them.

Per usual, nature only gave me a seed of an answer and I must do the watering and growing.

Right now, what I know is, deep rooted plants do not stop being deeply rooted because plants around them stay shallow.

They stay rooted as their adaptation, knowing depth also keeps them safe in storms, droughts, etc.

It may be scary to deeply root, to reach down so far for all you need and to be anchored where you might face pain.

But, it lets you grow, slowly, into a beautiful tree.

I guess all I can do is continue reaching deep. And maybe others will join me.

Those, who do not, do not deserve my judgement. And I will do my best to not take it personally.

Rather, I will have compassion for how they have adapted.

We all have roots and we use them in the way we have learned to.

And yet, we all have roots and that connects us.