I’m looking out my window as I begin this blog. To my left, I see an old rhododendron bush. Its leaves are drooping and brown stems, remnants from the flowers of summer, are intermixed with new buds. The baby buds are curled tightly for protection as it’s cold today. We look out the window and gauge the temperature of the day by the state of the leaves and buds. Today it’s quite cold and there is snow covering the ground but is no longer resting on the branches of the fir tree by the house. It too is an old tree and has withstood many winters. It stays green but the branches seem dryer and the row of trees next to it appear huddled together against the cold. It makes me think about the importance of community and how we need each other to survive and thrive.

I love the trees. My name Elana comes from the word elan which in Hebrew means tree and can also be defined as spirit. Years ago when I was living alone and feeling sad and worried about my future I painted trees on the walls of my bedroom. I’d come home at night and after work, I’d take out a bucket of white paint, pour some of it into a smaller bucket, open some tints of color I had gotten from my father, a paint salesman, take out a big brush and paint a tree on the wall. It was a very large tree and seemed to increase in width and depth as time went on. The root system also grew laterally as well as down and I used the various tints with the housepaint along with paints from the art store such as acrylics and craypas to give it depth and color. Colorful forms filled its branches changing as my moods changed and the tree grew larger, wider, and taller filling the wall from one end to the other. The colors and designs on the branches matched my mood and arose spontaneously from my imagination.

I’m no longer painting on walls but I am still drawing trees. Their ability to put down roots, stand tall and steady, and move through seasons and time, wind, rain, and sunlight continues to inspire and be steadying for me. When it snows I marvel at the beauty of the snow resting on the bough. When the snow is heavy and a bough breaks I take a moment to appreciate the life it has lived, the shade it has given, and how the rest of the tree has fared. We’ve lost several trees in the last five years and have planted others that are growing now.

I’m teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction and though I’ve been involved in this program for over forty years and neither it nor I are saplings it still feels fresh and new to me. Teaching helps me remember to stop, be present, keep my sense of humor and perspective: Everything changes, dies, and grows again. Leading a group of people who want to cope more effectively with life’s stresses helps me remember what is important. A willingness to embrace change, face fear and not deny that winter is NOT my favorite season or Covid is easy to bear but…it will pass. We are part of something larger than any of us. I get to write to you, look out the window, and practice maintaining perspective.

May our roots be strong, our branches flexible, our spirits resilient and our hearts warm and steady.

THE NEXT AGING WITH WISDOM MEETING IS THIS THURSDAY,

FEBRUARY 10th AT 11 AM, EST.

Please register here if you are planning to come.

Warmly, Elana