Tree Rings Tell the Story

Tree rings tell the life story of the tree. Scientists can look at the rings of trees and learn about the climate and growing conditions hundreds and even thousands of years ago. When the temperature and rainfall are ideal, trees grow faster, and their rings are wider. When the climate is too hot or too cold, or too wet or dry, the tree grows more slowly, and the rings are thinner. 

These beautiful stories, hidden in the inner soul of the tree, speak of seasons with blossoms and growth as well as times of struggle and hardship. 

I like the idea of examining my tree rings regularly. While trees only grow rings in the spring and the fall, I think people’s growth is more continual and there is great value in identifying and documenting it in our journals. This becomes the record of Life Experienced. 

January 2021 Tree Ring

Here is my January 2021 tree ring with three lessons learned, two inspirational quotes, and one hardy experiment. 

Three Lessons Learned

1. The power of I am. In the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, he introduces the crucial link between a new identity and new habits. He states, “The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become. Your identity emerges out of your habits. Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
   
   I implemented his advice with a new identity, “I am a writer.” Now, each time I write a page, there is a little boost of confidence that I can be this person. 
   

2. Sprinkles. I have many hobbies and want to be good at all of them which just isn’t possible because of the required practice time. It’s been a significant source of frustration for me, until I heard the word “sprinkles.” I now label those activities that I enjoy occasionally as sprinkles on top of the delicious cake. I’m surprised at how much pressure has been removed to do all things well.
   

3. Replace doomscrolling with hopescrolling. I fasted a week from scrolling through the news on my phone. As expected, it provided great relief from the anxiety created by opinions and predictions of doom. An even better discovery was hopescrolling, found on my photo roll. If I judged 2020 by the photos I took, it was an exciting, excellent year. What an untapped source of hope we can create and have available each time we have a need to scroll.

Two Inspirational Quotes

“We all know that more faith won’t make our problems disappear. But I believe as our faith increases, we become more able to not only survive the hard times but become better because of them.”  Virginia H. Pearce

“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.”  John Dewey

One Hardy Experiment

Trying something new builds my hardiness. Moving out of my comfort zone into that beginner space is like stretching my hardiness muscle and while it’s very scary at the time, it always ends up worth it. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” 

This experiment was to take an oil painting class with Emily Fox King. It was a 3-hour class and she supplied all of the materials. I was so nervous with familiar messages screaming in my head, “You can’t draw. You can’t paint.” But she made it so easy and it involved lots of color – which I adore. Her simple teaching style and encouragement made it a total delight. The final result, with some additional swirls from her, makes me smile. (Inviting my niece to take the class with me was an additional bonus.)

Painting will be sprinkles for me, but this experience strengthened my courage that I can do scary things. 

What was your January Tree Ring?

Don’t miss the moment to reflect and document your recent experiences and learnings. I promise it will give you a boost of hardiness, gratitude, and joy.