Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER
The Japanese have a saying, ‘life’s path can be seen in an insect eaten tree branch’. I’ve always looked at squiggle’s marks on a tree where an insect has nibbled away and wondered why do they choose the path they choose. It is the taste of the wood that drives then, the divots in the grain that direct them or is it just that they are always following where another has been before. If faced with a daunting wood knot in front of them, do they go over the top or around. Does the texture make them choose a different path and why do they never seem to go in a straight line?
If they do weave around does that mean life is directionless and is a straight line the way to go? Or does weaving through life allow us to have varying and different experiences? When I stare at the wood filled with meandering marks I can’t help but be intrigued and captivated by the windy path that twists and turns with no real purpose. I see varying sized chomps through knots and the creation of diverse and wacky shapes.
Originally I thought a straight line would be better, more direct, efficient, structured and streamlined. But then I wondered would going in a straight line mean that I would merely repeat the same thing over and over again and would monotony and boredom settle in. Even worse, what if the first experience was unpleasant and repeating that experience over and over again would mean a life of continued pain. So could you somehow guarantee a good experience and then just repeat that over and over again? Or would that get boring too? Would you end up craving excitement and diversity somehow?
Those wood eating insects chose to wonder and create patterns on the wood that at first glance could appear directionless but on closer investigation actually allows one to make many choices along the way. These many choices can help one focus moment to moment. Do I turn left, do I go over or through the knot? Perhaps making decisions moment by moment is actual trick to creating one’s life path.
You don’t always need to know where you are going and how you are going to get there, but maybe you can feel your way through and trust that at each moment you are making the right decision. Some decisions maybe pleasant and some not so pleasant. Either way the accumulation of all those decisions time and time again take you to where you want to go.
For now, I am going to continue to stay off the straight line and meander moment by moment trusting myself along the way. It will no doubt create a pattern in the wood that will spark and delight my heart and with any luck, other hearts too. So thank you wood eating insects for showing me a new way.