Reveal the Lifedancer in You

I ran my hands over the dusty, knobby rock, imagining the brilliant gem inside. How beautiful the crystals at the core would shine, as they sparkled in the sun.

Growing up, my parents collected dozens of oddities from nature. In addition to books, family antiques, and artifacts, we somehow inherited houseplants, rocks of various shapes and sizes, and a rather large tree stump. Nowadays, some might call it hoarding; we called it sentimental. This collection seemed to grow more significant with each move we made. At various times, the nature girl in me had my share of found treasures; leaves, shells, stones, feathers, insects labeled and on display in my room. Most of my friend’s homes looked like a page out of Southern Living magazine. Ours resembled something more along the lines of the life sciences or history museum.

One of those items we toted from place to place was a geode. A geode is a rock containing a cavity lined with crystals or other mineral matter. When opened, the inside reveals a beautiful, usually colorful display of jewels. The outside is dull and dirty, less than desirable, resembling a gnarly bumpy plain old rock that looks more like it came from the Moon than the Earth.

I asked my mother repeatedly, “When are you going to crack that rock open?”

She never had any intention of opening it. The inherent beauty that lies within will forever remain a mystery locked in time. Maybe she wanted to hold the vision she pictured in her mind, fearing the disappointment of her discovery not living up to her expectation. The truth is, we’ll never know the beauty nature had intended. Maybe its true identity was meant to remain a mystery in the vault of what ifs of the universe.

I love a little mystery, some intrigue. Some things in life, I feel, are meant to be a surprise. For example, my partner and I resisted pressure of finding out the gender of either of our babies before birth. Even though it drove me crazy in trying to plan, I knew each time, the secret would be revealed in due time. This practice in patience had a very empowering effect of subduing the control freak in me. I wasn’t always this disciplined. It’s taken years of practice. If you’re the one that took a bite out of each chocolate in Whitman’s sampler just to see what was inside, then I know you can relate.

The dance of anticipation is the magic that fuels our hope in life.

Yet, I struggled to understand why someone wouldn’t want to reveal the hidden gem at the core.

Not to put on display for others, but to allow true beauty to shine through.

It went against my very nature of seeking the essence of things, to get to the heart of the matter. I have this deep-seated desire to make the invisible, visible, real, tangible; to unlock the hidden potential, the beauty and awe that lies within us, within nature, within the wisdom of the universe; from the positive qualities of a person to the power of a tiny flower.

What fascinating gems are waiting to be revealed in your core?

Love? Hope? Opportunity? Freedom? Healing?

You have been given a great gift.

You have a choice.

Will you open it?