Unravel

That week, I heard the word spoken on two separate occasions by two women in my life whom I love and trust wholeheartedly.  Each time it was uttered, the word vibrated through my body and told me to pay attention. 

UNRAVEL

As I drove my family up north for Thanksgiving the following week, I could sense my body was at full capacity for input, only to be pushed further. Enduring, I knew deep nourishment was just around the corner. 

THE FOREST BECKONS

“We’re waiting for you,” I heard the forest call to me the following day. 

My husband and I entered the two-mile loop, which contained all the elements- trees, rocks, earth, and water. We began our descent in the soft bed of the forest, with my husband engaging me in playful banter. When I didn’t respond, he looked back and saw the tears forming. 

SOLITUDE

“I need silence and solitude right now, please. I need to lose myself in the forest.”

“I’ll be ahead,” he responded with a tender gaze. “Take all the time you need.” Tears of gratitude for this man and his gentle love and understanding of me rolled down my cheeks, and I welcomed them. 

As we moved through the trees, I let the forest hold and unravel me. Her branches reached me, peeling exhaustion, rage, and fear away, paring these burdens from my clutched body. Each tear and step disentangled me. And I welcomed it.

STORM

Traversing down the rocky bluff towards the water, I felt myself being picked up and thrown around despite the calm air and water surrounding me. Signs of the earth having experienced the same storm time and time again lay around me. As I rounded a bend, a substantial pine tree lay uprooted and unearthed, blocking the path. I placed my hand on its enormous trunk to catch my breath and balance. Tears streaming down my face, I saw the earth open, exposing the trees’ elaborate underground root system. I rested my body within this web, held in a gentle firmness. Nourishment weaved into my body, unearthing my burdens now. I welcomed in the earth’s cyclical stability, sustenance, and wisdom.  

REST

As we ascended our hike, with my husband peering back occasionally, a calmness washed over me and sunk into my bones. Tears of appreciation and relief ran down my face, and I welcomed them. 

HEART

Nearing the end of our journey, with our car just off in the distance, I peered back to where I had let my body be held and felt my heart tug. I left her to remain deep within the earth, for now, as this is the place of my most profound work, 

Unraveling My Heart. 

Rest, my heart. 

You are safe. You are held. 

Unravel, my love.

You deserve peace.