Don't Mess with The Circle of Life

I have been thinking a lot lately about the great challenge some people have with seeing things come to an end and letting go. I have been facilitating many conversations with staff and volunteer leaders about what programs need to be sunset, which ones might need a fresh coat of paint, and where do new efforts desperately need to be created. These have been difficult conversations.

Many people seem to attach a state of presumed permanence to things. Because something is a part of the current landscape it is meant to be so forever. Perhaps this brings them a sense of security and balance when surrounded by constant change. And continuity can be a good thing, but it also gets in the way of the natural process of renewal and rejuvenation. The brilliant poet May Sarton said it best:

"I think of the trees and how simply they let go, let fall the riches of a season, how without grief (it seems) they can let go and go deep into their roots for renewal and sleep.... Imitate the trees. Learn to lose in order to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long, not even pain, psychic pain. Sit it out. Let it all pass. Let it go." Journal of a Solitude

Rather than worry about the leaves falling in our individual and organizational lives, we should be more concerned with cultivating the deep roots of core values and purpose. They will provide the nourishment to carry us through many cycles of the circle of life.