“Storms make trees take deeper roots”
As I was watching the Olympics last night, this quote resonated with me: “Storms make trees take deeper roots”. I repeated the quote in my mind a few times and then the meaning stuck with me. The more adversity the tree encounters, the deeper the roots take, and the stronger the tree grows. I immediately made the comparison with the athletes I was watching such as the track athlete Yohan Blake. He was unable to train for 2 years with a separated hamstring prior to this Olympics and he made his way to 4th place in the 100m finals last night.
Some trees cannot fight the massive storms thrown at them because they are too great to conquer, and those stories are also shared at the Olympics. However, those who are able to survive the storm usually come out on top because their roots are so deep and strong. Have you ever heard of the saying “dig deep”? You probably have if you are cross-country skier. To dig deep can mean something different for everyone, but I view it as digging deep into the heart to unleash a level beyond what just training can achieve. I believe the ability to dig deep is the true key to success and only you can see the power of you roots. If you have faced obstacles and set backs, then your roots are pretty darn deep, so you can dig deeper than anyone out there. So what do these deep roots represent? Blood, sweat, and tears (but actually). More importantly, it is the passion, the fire, and the excitement to be able to do what you love after the storm passes.
This saying grabbed my attention not only because of the Olympic stories that are shared on television, but because I am going through a “storm” myself. Unfortunately, I was unable to uphold my #1 goal this summer: stay healthy. I have not been feeling well for the past two weeks so in attempt to feel better, I have taken more than a week off completely (in normal people standards…not the nordie standard of an off week being an easy hour run every day!). I am lucky enough to be good at taking time off (for nordie standards) but I have found myself reaching my threshold and this quote was a great reminder to take deeper roots and wait out the storm. So…sometimes the way to the top is the way down.
Keep digging deeper.-JK