#NotesofCare

"As we awaken to the power of choice, we become the masters of our own story."

A guru was imparting a lesson to his disciples. He said:

“A coconut tree and a banyan tree stood next to each other. They were both quite young and excited about what the world had to offer.

After a few years, the Coconut tree had grown rapidly. It was tall and graceful and swayed in the wind with its palm leaves swishing. Its roots, while not deep were spread in a fanned out lattice which gave it fair amount of stability. Its trunk was lean and flexible and could withstand the ravages of strong winds which blew up from the sea. It started to bear fruit too and people around it thanked it for all that it provided. They were able to eat its fruit, use its husk and fallen leaves for shelter and fuel. It was a very admired and appreciated tree.

The Banyan tree also grew, but its growth was different. It grew to a good height but after that it stopped growing much vertically. On the other hand, its trunk grew more solid and its roots grew deeper in the soil making it almost impossible to uproot in any storm. It also started to spread laterally and produce aerial roots which then grew into more trees and over time the tree grew into a small forest with companion trees, birds and animals which made their home in its thicket and ate its figs. People came and sat in its shade and marveled at its wisdom. They started to worship the tree for its qualities of solidity, quiet strength and wisdom.

As more time passed, the Coconut tree reached its optimal height and after that it could grow no further. And since it did not have the ability to grow in any other way, it started stagnate and finally to decline.

The Banyan tree in the meantime continued to grow and flourish. There seemed no limit to its growth.”

The guru turned to his disciples and asked, “Which tree would you like to be like.”

Some disciples said they would like the exhilaration of the dizzying heights of growth that the Coconut tree had, and some said they would like to be solid and revered like the Banyan.

The guru then said, “But you forget, we are not trees, we are humans”. The trees don’t have a choice in how they want to be, but as humans we can take inspiration from both and then grow and live as we choose. We can choose to have times in our lives when we are like the Coconut and then times when we are like the Banyan. That’s the beauty and power of being a human being. We have the power to choose.”

Leaving you with this thought. How would you choose to define your life and growth path?

#NotesofCare #tcscares #dandelionstalk #growth #nolimits