At One With

by Amy McGuigan

As I ran along the winding road on an Indian Summer day the warmth of the sun felt good on my skin that was losing its summer tan. The wind was blowing and I was immediately captured by the beauty of this autumn day. I became entranced in the colors of the trees that radiated bright shades of orange, red and yellow. The sky seemed to be a light baby blue with an endless supply of clouds that made the view of the horizon seem so crisp, so clear and so perfect. It is easy to find myself deep in thought when I run, while other times I am able to just be in a moment where I feel at one with life and an equal part of nature, where there is a feeling of belongness and oneness with the earth. The abundance of trees, grass, flowers, animal life and fresh air brings a sense of peace and allows me to run in complete harmony with nature. Even my form and pace seem to be in perfect tempo with the rhythm of my surroundings.

There are many times along my run that I stop off and sit in a field or find a quiet place in the forest to reflect and make peace with life in spots that seem to resonate or speak to me in some way. It is as if my body instinctively stops and knows that it needs to pause in a certain moment of time and just Be. It is almost always a teaching moment in some way that either brings about new knowledge, insight or a just a feeling of peace I've been spiritually or mentally searching for.

On this day I felt the strong urge to enter into a grouping of trees off the road. As I entered I immediately saw a large tree whose height brought me a feeling of instant security. There was a peaceful feeling that came over me as I walked towards it. Why this tree stood out from its neighbors I'm not sure. However, I immediately found myself in awe of the beauty of all the fall foliage and I felt the wind blowing in a way that I've never felt before. It was as if it touched every living cell in my body. The wind did not just blow around me, it felt as if it blew through me. All of the senses in my body seemed to be more aware, alert and alive. I stared back towards the road and into the horizon which seemed an endless supply of red, orange and yellow trees dotting the skyline. The rolling hills were entirely masked in autumn colors, the grass so green like a plush carpet, and the sky so blue that the three appeared so individual but yet seemed so whole. I stood under t his tree whose bright yellow leaves had already started to carpet the ground under my feet. The tree was still abundant with leaves and yet with the movement of the wind I watched as the leaves deliberately detached themselves from this tall giant with ease.

The tree did not feel the need to hold onto the leaves that were dying with a fear of loss, or insecurity. The tree didn't seem to have a worry about the approaching cold of winter and a knowing that it would not have any leaves for quite some time. It didn't seem to have a thought or a need for new and budding spring leaves. The autumn tree just stood there in that very moment content to release the yellow leaves to wherever the wind would take them. This giant tree basked in the season of life it was in without worry of past or future. It allowed life to flow through it. The bright yellow leaves didn't feel the need to cling to the tree anymore to sustain life. As the wind blew, they freely allowed themselves to move onto their next journey and become one with the earth. I felt their freedom immediately as I watched them one by one floating to the ground. They moved through the wind not in fear, but in obvious eager anticipation. It’s as if they understood the n ext part of their journey and the beingness of becoming one with the earth, there was no death ... only life.

I stood under this great, knowledgable tree and felt the wind dance through me. I took a deep breath of the sweet autumn air and allowed it to flow into my lungs and then I exhaled slowly. As the leaves from this teaching tree and the many others surrounding it were freeing their leaves, I found myself being completely showered in leaves. The wind seemed to intensify and I became completely at one with the moment, at one with life, at one with the earth and with my beingness. The wind seemed to speak to me as if to say it was time to let go of the past, old beliefs and to forgive. It was time to let go of the very things I was holding onto out of fear and embrace the Now. The wind was allowing me to feel the peace of freeing myself from the things that were holding me apart from the greater part of me. I raised my hands instinctively without thought or care.

At that moment I became a part of the forest, a part of the trees, a part of the wind and a part of the earth. I felt so tall and perfect. I felt no identity or classification. I was in complete harmony with all life that surrounded me. Freedom and peace washed over me with each falling leaf as nature seemed to allow me the opportunity to stand with them in this season and to release my own leaves, to evolve and feel a sense of oneness with life. The wind blew away every worry, care or fear. Life itself supported me that day. I had always thought that we lived in a duality with life and with being, I quickly recognized it is really just One.

So perhaps it is with us in the moments in our lives where we may often feel the need to cling to things, places or people whose intention in our lives was purely seasonal. If only we could see the greater lesson they came to teach. Neither good nor bad there comes a time, just as with the tree, that we need to just let go and allow ourselves to enjoy the season we are in and to embark on our next journey. Releasing the past, for the Now frees us to be the ever-evolving being we chose to come here and become. Life is always passing through our being. When we are at One with life we can truly be at one with Being.