The Thinking Tree

There is a lyric in one of my favorite country songs, “She’s My Kind of Rain,” by Tim McGraw that refers to a Dreamin’ Tree. I heard this song over a decade ago and fell in love with its poetic wording and imaginative, metaphoric comparisons. I adore the idea of a picturesque, pastoral scene where there is a big ‘ole tree that forms a leaf engulfed canopy. Under that canopy, you go to sit and simply dream. You voice the small, medium, large, and just-crazy-out-there dreams aloud. Just you and your Dreamin’ Tree. Sounds like something that could be found in The Princess Bride or The Secret Garden.

There is just something special about a place where one goes to dream or even have uninterrupted time to think.

In Winnie the Pooh’s Blustery Day movie, which I have seen more than 300 times with my almost four-year old (I digress), that silly old bear has Pooh’s Thoughtful Spot. It too, by the way, is near a tree. That correlation is not relevant, just observatory. Consider that bonus information.

I remain confident that I am not the only person who feels that their mind is like a superhighway zooming with so many thoughts, so many what-ifs, so many second guesses, so many dreams of all shapes & sizes that it can make you dizzy. It occurred to me…what if I had a Thinking Tree? It could be the best of both worlds…part Dreamin’ Tree, part Thoughtful Spot. I could tell myself to hold off on allowing consuming thoughts to run mad because later on today, I’m making the trek to my Thinking Tree. You see, there, I could sit against what I envision to be a great oak, shaded, and listening to a nearby babbling brook. And there, I could let my thoughts be sorted. I could verbally express my anxieties. At this tree of mine, I could admit the thoughts that I pretend not to have…the thoughts that make me seem less than perfect. Those thoughts could be voiced and dealt with honest disclosure. I mean, it is just me and my Thinking Tree, so why not be candid with those limbs and that bark? Not only can I do some good pondering, productive filtering, and self-revelatory categorizing, but I can also think about dreaming. I can dream of the seemingly unattainable goal. I can be myself – the uncut, unedited, say-what-you-need-to-say person.

This came to my mind because lately, my thoughts have just overtaken me. Here’s another shout out to the superhighway that is my noggin.

I drive myself crazy with not being able to calm, classify, and regroup thoughts that run rampant.

I also seem to get so caught up in dreaming big that I became more intimidated the more I dream. So, I thought, yeah, I need that tree. I don’t need to tell you that there is no such thing as a Dreamin’ Tree or a Thinking Tree. Sorry if I blew that out of the water for some of you. But, this line of thought led me to start writing this blog. I know there are so many people out there that are held hostage by too many thoughts, not enough clarity, dreams that are too big, dreams that aren’t big enough, and etc. I wanted to create a place where I can share my heart, my aspirations, my real thoughts, and my fear of failure. My Thinking Tree signifies the freedom in the declaration that like you, I am consumed with thoughts that hinder, dreams that excite, musings that overwhelm, and hopes that motivate on a daily basis. It is just exhausting.

So, as I write today, I focus on some universal truths. I know God has a plan for my life, but I have so many anxious thoughts in my head, I wonder if I can hear Him when He guides me. Rumor has it that He tends to whisper. Another little factual gem – when we share our struggles with one another, it lightens the load a bit to know you are not alone or at least not the only crazy. I jest, but you get the point. I have also found that as people, most times than not, we can cheer on or advise others with full passion and rigor, while being unable to speak directly to the person we see in the mirror. My desire is to be a source of encouragement, a place of connection, and a compass of sorts for the highway of superthoughts. It is my hope that it will serve as a place of rest where faith, reality, prayer, and personal truth can intermingle.