The Walnut Tree

Walnut tree🌳🍁 Sometimes I feel this emptiness inside of me what goes hand in hand with a restlessness feeling. While wondering how come I realized that there is a deep-rooted underlying fear present in me: The fear of NOT HAVING ENOUGH. This fear comes to me in many different ways throughout the day; the fear of not having enough prosperity, not having enough love, not enough attention, not enough clothes and so onwards. Today when I was practicing Tai Chi at the river, I felt worried about my future and about how to sustain myself here in Spain. I asked ‘what do I want in life and how can I achieve this?’ In response to this a lot of negatives thoughts came up and believes of not being good enough and not being able to achieve anything at all. Then suddenly I realized what I was doing: creating negatives and feeding myself with doubts and fears! Not good! So immediately I started practicing letting go again. Then the feeling of peace and clarity came to me, a sense of contentment and truly letting go. I looked around, seeing the trees, the beautiful flow of the river, I heard the birds singing and saw all the little insects busily working to supply themselves from food and shelter for the autumn time. Time seemed to slow down and then it came to me! ‘’BE GRATEFUL!’’ So I started thanking myself in first place and then tuned into thanking the things around me. Instantaneously I felt more peaceful, happier and this feeling of gratitude expanded. I thanked the trees, the plants, the sun, the earth, the river, even the little (itchy) flies on my arms and legs which first caused me a lot of irritation. Then I came across a walnut on the ground. When looking around I saw another one and another one. Wow! One by one I picked them up, full of gratitude, happiness and the more time went on, the happier I felt. Gratefulness is (one of) the key(s) to happiness. Give constantly thanks and amazing surprises will come to you. Walnut Tree 🌳🍁 Sometimes I notice an emptiness rising inside me, often hand in hand with a restless energy. As I sit with it, I realize it stems from a deep-rooted fear: the fear of not having enough. This fear wears many masks throughout my day—fear of not having enough abundance, enough love, enough attention, enough clothes, enough of anything. Today, while practicing Tai Chi by the river, these thoughts returned. I worried about my future, about sustaining myself here in Spain. I asked myself: What do I truly want in life, and how do I get there? But instead of answers, a flood of doubts rushed in—old beliefs of not being good enough, of not being able to achieve anything at all. And then I caught myself. I was feeding the very thing that keeps me stuck—negativity, fear, self-doubt. Not good! So I returned to my practice of letting go. Slowly, a sense of calm and clarity washed over me. Peace. Contentment. I lifted my eyes and took in the scene around me—the trees standing tall, the river flowing gracefully, birds filling the air with song, tiny insects busily preparing for autumn. Time seemed to soften, and then it struck me: “BE GRATEFUL.” I began by thanking myself. Then, I extended gratitude outward—to everything around me. With each thank you, I felt lighter, happier, more at ease. Gratitude kept growing, like ripples in water. I thanked the trees, the plants, the sun, the earth, the river—and even the tiny flies nibbling at my skin, the same ones that had annoyed me moments before. Then I stumbled upon a walnut lying on the ground. And then another, and another. One by one I gathered them, my heart swelling with joy and thankfulness. The more I gave thanks, the more happiness bubbled up within me. Gratitude, I realized, is a key to happiness. When you give thanks freely, life responds with unexpected gifts. There is so much to be grateful for—within and around us. I am certain you, too, have countless reasons to give thanks. Why not try it, right now?