There is a Douglas fir on our land that I return to, again and again.
She stands out in a field of Ponderosa pines — taller, with distinctly different bark and needles, unmistakably herself. When I feel ungrounded, anxious, or want to find clarity, I walk out to where she stands and sit with her. I don't always know what I'm looking for, but I always leave clearer on something I wasn’t before.
This spring, a fierce multi-day windstorm moved through our mountains— with sustained 90+ mph gusts— the strongest I’d ever experienced here. When it finally passed, my husband and I walked the land to discover what had been lost — mostly Lodgepole pines, whose roots stay shallow, seeking what they need close to the surface.
The Douglas fir stood exactly as she always has, held by her deep tap root, strong and steady. And in the quiet after the storm, something came through clearly, as it has several times before:
You have to tend to your roots if you want to stand tall.
I think many of us are in a kind of windstorm right now. The relentless pace of modern life, the many roles and responsibilities we endlessly juggle, the layers of uncertainty in the world— it can take so much from us. And the temptation can be to reach outward, grip harder, do more, spread ourselves even wider (and thinner) to somehow steady ourselves.
But the Lodgepoles reminded me: it isn't the size of the tree that determines whether it stands. It's the depth of what holds it. When you are rooted, you can rise.
Your roots are nourished by your habits. Your relationships. Your body, and how you treat it (and speak to it). Your connection to yourself. The way you tend to your heart. Rest and stillness. These aren’t frivolous things— they are the foundation that will help you weather any storm.
Tomorrow, the summer solstice is here — the moment the sun is the fullest, brightest expression of itself, pouring light onto the earth. It's an invitation: what in you has been quietly growing underground, waiting to finally reach toward the light?
This is the season of bringing what has rooted into bloom.
And if something in you has been stirring in you, if there's a part of you that wants time to tend to yourself — in nature, in sisterhood, in real community — I want to invite you to Rooted Women, Sept 17-20th, in the Colorado Rockies.
Eight women. Four days in the mountains. Golden aspens, breathwork, adventures in stunning nature, healing bodywork, delicious shared meals, and evenings around the fire.
Early bird pricing through June 30th! Save $150 when you reserve your space by the end of this month.