Image Over Substance - It's A Matter of Roots

I'm not much of a gardener.  In fact, I know very little about gardening but I do know that it is wonderful therapy for many people.  I don't understand gardening, yet I have learned a valuable lesson from a tree. Years ago, we lived on a large acreage and over the course of any summer, trees seemed to spring up out of nowhere.  It was as if they had some special magic like the seeds in the story, Jack and the Beanstalk.  In a matter of weeks, these trees would grow tall and if we didn't get rid of them, they would easily take over the road.

It was not difficult to get rid of them as they had a little root system.  The tree would be several feet high with roots that were only a few inches deep.  You could lean on them and they would uproot.

What I did not understand was why some trees took so long to grow and these grew so quickly.  I asked an avid gardener friend and her response was, "Real trees know better than to go up until their roots have gone down.  Trees that last," he said, "have as many roots underground as they have branches above."

BAM!  That hit me hard.  It rang true when thinking about life and what matters.

I have been a health coach for over 35 years and have used the same line of products for my clients. Over the years, I have been offered various 'opportunities.'  "You can get in on the ground floor and make a fortune."  I have been pressured, encouraged, wined and dined.  I refused.  I have watched friends invest and lose.  I have watched similar products rise and fall.  I have stayed true to what I know has substance instead of fluff.

I guess it depends on what you want to produce.  It takes forty years to grow an oak tree.  But, you can grow a large pumpkin in three months.  The difference?  One has substance and the fiber is tough. The other is big - and full of nothing.

It's a matter of roots.  Have you been in situations where this was obvious?

Photos courtesy of ccvsocal.com, summitree.com, loseweightandgainhealth.com, allparenting.com