Channeling Your Inner Palm Tree

Posted In Inspiration | 32 comments

I had an experience this morning that I thought I’d share.

I typically wake up pretty early in the morning to get going on my morning routine which gives me an awesome start to my day….reading, praying, singing, doing positive confessions/affirmations, sometimes all 4 when I really have it together.

Well this morning sucked.  Nothing was going right.  It started with waking up late with a headache and then a series of aggravating events ensued.

The last thing I felt like doing was going to the gym.  In fact, after dropping my daughter off I was thinking that the best idea would be to just come back home, sit on the couch, eat some comfort food, and watch an episode of Private Practice that is on the DVR.  I was really thinking that I should  just do nothing today since nothing was going right anyway.

But I made a decision to channel my inner palm tree.

In South Florida we see a lot of palm trees! They are not only beautiful but they are absolutely remarkable trees and just another demonstration of God’s brilliance.  Here’s a few things you should know about them:

  • They bend, they bend, they bend some more but they don’t break.  (Have you ever seen them in a hurricane on TV?)
  • After they bend and bend some more…they bounce back!
  • The roots of the palm tree are such that the tree gets STRONGER every time it must bend from the pressure from a storm

So, back to the story…..I took my butt over to the gym and hopped on the treadmill to do my 5K race training and then hopped on the bicycle and pedaled like mad.  For 30 of those 45 minutes of exercise I was speaking every positive confession that I could think of about my mind, my spirit, my finances, and my health (it was out loud..but quiet…and I’m sure a few folks thought I was losing my mind).

You know what happened?

My headache was gone.
I burned a lot of calories.
I had a smile on my face.
I moved on to have a great rest of the day.

When things really suck, you still have a choice to make.  You can either shut down, give up, and cave in…

OR

you can channel your inner palm tree.

Have a great weekend!

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  1. Julie Broad
    496 days ago

    AWESOME STORY SHAE!! I’m at Mom & Dad’s house today and they have some friends visiting. They have a little Dachshund. Bram sleeps in our room and I guess the dog wanted to send us or Bram a message so when we were not looking it pooped in our room, in my door way and on the stairway leading up to the main floor of the house. So my day had a crappy start too!! haha!! Literally … :)

    Anyway – this is a great message and glad you’ve got a smile on your face again!!! Happy Weekend.


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      LOL! That’s definitely a crappy start to a day! Hope you didn’t step in it ;-)

      Have a great weekend Julie!


  2. Seyi Oyerokun
    496 days ago

    Great message and lesson, Shannon! Great things always happen, sometimes not in the immediate when we encourage ourselves to move on depsite the odds. I am glad you got it going again, today!


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      Thanks Seyi! Have a great weekend, my friend :-)


  3. Bolaji O | WhoIsBolaji.com
    496 days ago

    Greatest post ever.

    Way to “turn the beat around”. LOL!
    I didn’t know that about Palm Trees – I love the analogy. And I’m glad you were able to bend, bend, then bounce back!

    There’s a lot to learn from, in this post. I’ll be sure to share it.


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      Thanks B! It’s funny because after I dropped the little one off and DECIDED to drive towards the gym, I started up my Joel Osteen “It’s Your Time” CD and right as I reached the parking lot of the gym he started talking about palm trees. I’d heard it all before but it was of no accident that I was reminded of it as I was in the gym parking lot ;-)


  4. Carey_PA
    496 days ago

    Shae,

    I have to say that this might be one of my favorite posts that you’ve ever written.

    Not only did it have an awesome story behind it, but we learned a few things about palm trees ;-)

    Thanks for sharing your story with us today.


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      Wow! Thanks Carey! That means a lot to me…I’m glad that I shared it. Have a great weekend and can’t wait to see those DEADLINES (you know what I’m talkin’ about!)


  5. Sharon Vornholt
    496 days ago

    Love the story Shae. I also love palm trees because they are where I want to be – AT THE DARN BEACH – not in Louisville where it is a balmy 30 degrees with snow flurries.

    Also, I think that dog was definitely trying to give Julie a message.


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      LOL! Sharon, you should come down here for a visit this winter :-)


  6. AnotherSteph
    496 days ago

    Awesome story, Shae. Very inspiring, as usual.

    I must say, the first time I went to FL, when I was a full grown adult, was the first time I saw a palm tree live and in person. I was so excited. I just love them and to see it up close was so cool.

    Maybe it’s because we don’t have them here in New England…or maybe because they seem so exotic and tropical. Either way, everytime I see one, I am amazed!

    Steph


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      Thanks Steph! Well now you know that not only are they beautiful, exotic, and tropical, but they are also resilient and remarkably made. Enjoy the weekend!


      • AnotherSteph
        495 days ago

        Indeed! You have a great weekend, too!


  7. Bill
    496 days ago

    Well, I WOULD channel my “inner palm tree,” but it would probably freeze its . .roots, yeah that’s it..roots . . off today ;-) All kidding aside though, GREAT post, as usual.


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      LOL! Thanks Bill :-)


  8. Bilgefisher
    496 days ago

    Shae,

    I enjoyed the story. Everything we do is a test in our lives and a way to grow and learn. Everything.

    You only see the rocks that stand against the waves, not those that crumble beneath them.

    Jason


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      Beautifully stated, Jason. I hope you write letters to your wife….if you don’t, you should consider it :-)


  9. mobilehomegurl
    496 days ago

    Cool story Shae, great analogy with the palm tree and all! :) I can definitely relate, I’ve had those days myself. Yes, I do agree – sometimes you’ve just got to push yourself and just do what you need to do and bounce back to get stuff done. Thanks for sharing your story! :)

    p.s. And, what is this about singing?!?!? I had no idea you like to sing! (me too, I have a karaoke microphone!!) ;)


    • Shae
      496 days ago

      Oh Rachel, I love to sing (I’m no Whitney Houston but I do ok). And I loooooove me some karaoke. I don’t know if you’re into video games, but we have the Karaoke Revolution and American Idol games and we have a blast playing. Have a good weekend!


      • mobilehomegurl
        496 days ago

        Oh, that’s awesome Shae! I haven’t played those games before, my karaoke microphone is a bit older (it has music chips in them but works good!). I definitely like video games, had a Nintendo growing up!! (played Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda!). I like scary games, some of my favs are Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. It’s cool to hear you play video games! Have a great weekend, too! :)


  10. Kirstin
    495 days ago

    Love it, will be thinking about channeling my inner palm tree all day. It will make me feel all warm and sunny too.


    • Shae
      495 days ago

      Hey Kirstin, thanks for stopping by! Hope you were successful channeling your inner palm tree today ;-)


  11. Sally Neill
    493 days ago

    Hey Shae

    Ha ha ha, oh your blog post made me smile :D

    So glad your day got better and I love the title of your blog post, very unique and I was wondering what on earth a inner plam tree was.

    Wonder no more, I now know thanks to you.

    A really sweet blog post, loved reading it.

    I shall try to bend more in 2001, Sally :)


    • Shae
      493 days ago

      Hey Sally, thanks for the hop over here :-) Glad you enjoyed the post. Here’s to bending rather than breaking in 2011! ;-)


  12. Xavier
    492 days ago

    I channel my inner Sequoia.


    • Shae
      492 days ago

      LOL! Hey, whatever works Xavier ;-)


  13. Matt
    488 days ago

    Shae, I find myself referring back to this post again. This mindset will help me as well.

    thanks for sharing


    • Shae
      487 days ago

      You’re very welcome, Matt. Glad it’s helpful for you! Certainly is for me!


  14. Scott Costello
    486 days ago

    I love stories like this where willpower prevails! When things really start tumbling out of control I usually repeat to myself “Just one small success”. If I can achieve one small task or fix one small problem it always changes my day for the better.


    • Shae
      486 days ago

      I like that Scotty….just one small success. Thanks for sharing!


  15. Tamara
    480 days ago

    Awesome post! I most definitely need to keep this in mind when i want to hit snooze. :)