No 11. Changing Lives through Dancing
By David Earl Woodbury
Friday, March 13, 2015
David Woodbury
Humus, Planting in Good Soil
Anyone with a green thumb will tell you that humus is essential in their gardens.
Humus is the richest part of the soil, composed of the decay of plant and animal matter. After the humus is tilled, broken open and exposed to sun and rain, it yields a bountiful harvest of glorious growth.
The root word from “humus” comes from the English word, humility. Having humility is the ability to be broken and tilled, ready to receive the seeds of life’s experience, thus growing in wisdom and experience.
Humility comes from having the grace to be broken and tilled like soil. It requires us to let go of our pride, ego, and our own wants and enter a stage of gratitude in our lives. Humility gives us the ability to show hope to others and help others survive the droughts and the storms of their lives.
Humility is not putting ourselves down, but actively respecting others and the great gifts of life that we all possess. We realized that we are a part of the whole, and we exist in a community of other seeds that are seeking the good dark rich humus of soil in which to grow.
The “humus” of life gives us the ability to grow in abundant ways from barrenness, to being filled with hope from despair, and then move toward light from the dark nights of the soul.
What do we plant in this rich soil of our lives? Hope, peace, joy, trust, and community are a good garden to plant. If we watch the seeds and tend to them, they will survive and grow into a rich harvest.
What is that hard soil in your life? For me, it’s just the hardness of my heart that comes from the “work and get ahead” mentality that we are all exposed to. “Get all you can as fast as you can” is a formula that will soon kill any seeds of joy that are planted in that rocky soil.
Try this. Give back to someone. Recently one of our dance students purchased a ticket for another student so she might attend a wonderful event. She said, “She deserves it. She is a wonderful person”. I was so fortunate to deliver that message, and the student who received the ticket began to cry. She was so full of gratitude that I just had to give her a big hug. That’s when I decided to write this “humus” story.
Break up the hard soil in your life and plant some seeds of greatness in your garden of life.
Peace,
David Woodbury