“…But listen now to what happened
to the actual trees;
toward the end of that summer they
pushed new leaves from their stubbed limbs.
It was the wrong season, yes,
but they couldn’t stop….”
In her poem, Hurricane, Mary Oliver stuns us with her observation. In the wrong season, the wrong time, trees stripped of everything from a hurricane, bloom anyway. She continues:
“…They looked like telephone poles and didn’t
care. And after the leaves came
blossoms. For some things
there are no wrong seasons…”
For some things, there are no wrong seasons. There is only the push toward life, toward participation, toward growth. So many of us wait…hesitating for the right timing, the perfect alignment. How often I have held back from the courageous phone call or the stretch toward connection or the bigger move because I was worried the timing wouldn’t work out. And yet…how often as well, I have been surprised, we have been surprised by our longing to make something happen, to bring forth some aspect of our gifts, to light up the landscape just as a tree, blooming out of season, might.
I read this morning about a peaceful gesture of protest in Minneapolis, the knitting of red caps, a symbol of peaceful protest in Norway during World War II. Here is that link:
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/31/nx-s1-5693767/red-hat-protest-minnesota
And whatever our politics might be…I do believe each of us longs for that creative impulse to be nourished, the courage to take an idea and make it real – whether that is to lead a team, or a company, to bring art to life, to transition with wisdom, to build networks of care, or to find a way to say “I am with you,” with a hat.
In just a few weeks Karlee Fain and I open our year-long leadership training program, The Heroic Leadership Journey, a program built out of our own desire to bring forth something constructive, useful, generous, kind and wise – no matter the upheaval of this moment in our cultures. If you are ready to consider ever more deeply your legacy, your courage, your next best move, and your contribution to this world, please consider joining us. Registration closes on Feb. 4. and here is our link: https://www.karleefain.com/heroic-leadership-journey-landing
My very first self-created business card, crafted in my early thirties, had this to the side: “The time is now.” And I continue to believe in the wisdom of that statement.
If we are to rebuild cultures of generosity and generativity, wisdom and perspective, wellbeing and accomplishment for ourselves and those we hope to help grow, then there is no better moment than the one right now.
We are in a hurricane. Let’s blossom anyway.
Love, Maria
Oh…and….on Thursday Feb. 5, I am honored to begin a series of quarterly conversations this year for IPPA’s Spirituality and Meaning Division. Note the program information below on our first conversation: Complexities of Faith and Practice with Helena Marujo!
