The Beginning is NOW, it always is.

London is pretty stunning on this ordinary Monday in November.  The sky is blue, the autumn colours are beaming - it's a crisp, wintery and sunny day.  As I walked through Richmond Park this morning, when my shadow was long from the rising sun and all snuggled up in my warm weather gear, it dawned on me that one of the deeply benevolent things about life is that it's always the beginning. 

Each new day, each sunrise, each breath create the space for us to start, to step in.  And all it takes is for us to become alive to this space, this invitation, moment by moment.  With no memory of the past, and and a simple availability that welcomes us, each breath invites us into our lives, our day, our evening, our morning.

There's a tree in Richmond Park which fell over long ago.  And it didn't die.  Somehow it began its new life as a tree that lies on the ground, growing roots to nourish and sustain it even though it's not upright like other trees.   It's flourishing, vibrant, beautiful and far from ordinary. 

And today this tree got me thinking.  All of us have fallen over, been broken, damaged or hurt in our lives.  All of us have experienced our own unique pain that has come from our life story, circumstances and history.  And because the world is born anew in every breath, in every heart beat, we have a choice to flower, to grow in each moment.  Whatever our story, this reality is always here - this opportunity to learn, to flourish and find out something else about life other than our current way of seeing, feeling or being. 

The world is in no way holding us back; on the contrary, it's inviting us in, renewing itself all the time, asking is to take our place and be ourselves.

This tree didn't give up and die, it took what it had, and made a life out of it.  It lives its glorious life proudly on top of a beautiful hill.  It has more worn out grass around it than any other tree I have seen in the park, it's inviting, imperfect and welcoming.

Maybe that's what our imperfection does in the world - maybe our vulnerability, our honesty and openness about our lives invites others to the party.  And because of life's invitation to renewal and aliveness, we have a brand new opportunity to do this each and every moment.