A great leader grows roots, not weeds
Even
After
All this time
The sun never says to the earth,
“You owe me.”
Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the
Whole
Sky.
This poem by the 14th century Persian poet, Hafiz, was cited in Wayne Dyer’s book “Change Your Thoughts — Change Your Life.”
It was one of those passages that made me pause and look up from the page, needing a beat to process the depth of the words. This powerful message transcends time, place and culture. Every human throughout history can relate to the sun and its never-ending, unconditional nourishment of Mother Earth.
When the New Year dawned, I made a personal commitment to avoid the news and instead spend time reading, journaling, exercising, doing good work and being fully present with the people around me. I stay off my phone as much as possible unless it’s a functional task like responding to a text, checking my bank account, taking a call and so forth. Every day in January, I’ve written a journal entry, made a plan for the day, walked 10,000 steps, enjoyed a short morning tai chi routine and spent time reading. I don’t say this to boast because nothing I’m doing has been overly challenging or time-consuming, but these few consistent habits have been monumental in my mood and overall sense of well-being.
I’ve heard that the first month of the year is for “rooting,” performing grounding activities that set us up for success the rest of the year. This could be anything from long-range planning to cleaning out a couple rooms to making financial changes to taking a small step in the direction of a different career.
For some, January can be a cold, bitter month with a haze of malaise after the hoopla of the holiday season. I love January since it’s the month both my boys were born, but even for those who don’t have a celebratory reason, I encourage you to view it as a time to rest, regroup and root.
Related Items
Fontana Regional Library begins search for new director
The Joyful Botanist: Rooting for you
‘A civilization to be proud of …’
The Joyful Botanist: More dirt on soil
Despite consciously staying away from major news outlets and social media, it trickles in through comments from friends and family, a glance at a headline or a news brief on NPR while I’m listening to 88.7 WNCW. As I read the poem by Hafiz and considered the concept of rooting, it made me heartbroken for the ways our president is wasting his time in office on selfish efforts and ego-fueled shenanigans. To be a privileged leader in a high, honorable position and to squander the potential is hard to watch.
In this metaphor, the leader would be the sun and the people would be the earth. We’ve all known or know people in leadership positions — parents, bosses, pastors — who effortlessly shine light on those they serve through unconditional love and selfless service. In these situations, the people being served rise to the occasion, become the best versions of themselves and do incredible work. The sun does not brag, seek attention, or need “Sun” engraved on every music hall, tower or plaque. In fact, the sun likes it the way it is. Good leaders don’t want the attention. They want their people to shine. They want their people to feel as if they did it on their own.
Rooting is also a relevant metaphor here. In the early days of a presidential term, the person in the Oval Office should spend some time laying the groundwork and building relationships for the good changes to come. Instead of rooting, the current occupant of the White House has been growing weeds, more issues and problems that will grossly multiply as time goes on if something significant doesn’t change. A botanist may argue that weeds are helpful, and while that can be true, weeds mostly just get in the way of the main plant’s goals. Roots are always focused on long-term growth, while weeds are typically eyeing short-term gain.
I’ve always loved Ghandi’s quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” We may not have control over presidential decisions, but we have control of our day-to-day choices and habits. We have agency over our words, actions and the amount of time we spend serving others versus serving ourselves. Journaling, reading, walking outside, mindful time with others, staying away from online media seem like small things on the surface, but they’re helping me shine brighter, be more energized to give back and feel grounded. Your habits may be different from mine, but I hope you take time to self-assess and figure out what it takes for you to feel more like the sun, then honor those actions like your life depends on it, because it does.
(Susanna Shetley is a writer and editor who lives in Haywood County. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
