A gentle reminder to myself and others that the mess is not bad. The mess contains it's own magic and wisdom if we only allow ourselves to enjoy it.
If you’ve ever gone for a hike after it rains, you know what a muddy mess you are embarking on. It becomes impossible to find parts of the trail that don’t squish beneath your feet or turn your shoes brown.
If you’re like my rescue dog Tucker, you will intentionally seek out the puddles of mud and enjoy racing back and forth among them. There comes an age in life, when unlike Tucker, most of us tend to avoid the mud.
For the past few years I’ve found myself scooting to the edge of the path, hugging the trees, contorting my body, all to keep my sneakers slightly cleaner. Most of my energy is spent looking down at the ground, cursing the trail, trying to avoid the inevitable, rather than looking up around me.
If I did, I would notice the bright green leaves glistening from the rain, the pink and purple hues of the blooming rhododendron, and the hungry robins hopping around. Unlike us, nature doesn’t judge a mess. In fact it doesn’t even know the word.
Everything in nature is as it should be.
The “messy” mud puddle becomes water for the plants and animals around it. The decaying log becomes food for the fungi and home for small creatures. The damp leaves on the forest floor become compost for the next generation of trees.
When we take a moment to look without judgement, we see there simply is no mess.
Within the mess, we begin to see the alchemy of nature.
Hidden amongst the label ‘mess’ is an intricacy of cycles, a dance of death and rebirth, and a type of change that can only occur in natural design.
In nature, mess becomes synonymous with evolution. Without mess there is no change. Without mess there is no growth. Without mess, the Earth becomes dull, stagnant, and still.
Children value mess because they understand that it is a temporary phase in the process of creation.
So as we embrace spring cleaning vibes and the urge to clean out our closets, wash our curtains, and scrub every crevice arises, I also invite us to revel in the messy movements. The messy house, the messy friendships, the messy kids and messy pets.
Can we honor and bless the messiness of our lives, remembering that it too is sacred. Once we do, we may realize that there really is no mess to clean up.
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Book a free discovery call with me if you want to embrace the mess this season and find peace amongst all the transitions of life.
