Because trees sigh, we breathe. 

Clouds collect moisture and pour rain. Worms weave nutrients for hungry seeds. Busy bees fashion fruits and flowers. Seas leave salt. The moon moves seas.

Nature’s wisdom makes obvious the give and take everywhere we look. Give and take, take and give. Reciprocity to the fullest.

We are surprised (and, of course, delighted), to know that a forest is one harmonious symphony with microbes, mushrooms, roots, communicating and collaborating. That’s been their OS for eons. Give and Take; Take and Give. 

Never taking without giving. We have much to learn from this natural order. 

Massive Generosity.

Thomas Aquinas called it Magnanimity. Greatness of Soul.

The opposite: Pusillanimity. Smallness of soul. That’s the easy way when we forget our own qualifications, we replace comfort with disturbance; after all, distraction demands less than attention.

Magnanimity calls us to the arduous. It shouts, “Bring it on!” because:

Deep within we know when we confront challenges, we shatter fears. 

Deep within we know when we share what we have, we grow new worlds.

Refusing to do harm is not the same as doing good. One person holding back prevents everyone from moving forward.

Let the trees remind us: because they sigh, we breathe.

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Copyright, Gloria Degaetano, 2021. All rights reserved.