A Dance of Freedom

We’ve had a pretty amazing run of weather for December in Portland. It’s barely rained at all. We’ve had some foggy, cloudy days, and some unusually cold weather. But the foggy days have been sprinkled here and there with one or two or sometimes even three days of bright, crisp weather with clear blue skies and sunshine that warms through the chilly temperatures. It’s been the kind of weather I grew up with in Central Washington, the kind of days I experienced last January in Albuquerque. The gray foggy days make me appreciate so much the bright days and how energized I am when the bright sun is again part of my life.

Charlie has loved this weather because it means he gets longer walks. Even as Charlie gets old and slows down, he still becomes full of life and almost puppyish when I put his harness on and he gets to get in the car. It’s well known that dogs’ lives are measured in sevens: one year of dog life equals seven human years. But that’s more of an average. The larger breeds have much shorter lifespans and so their years are more like eight or even nine human years. That puts Charlie, who will be 10 in April, at around 70 or possibly closer to 80 in human terms. It’s reassuring that, even at his age, he can be so enthusiastic and joyful. He loves to run and explore when I take him off-leash, and today we walked our favorite walk near the river so he got to go wading chest-deep. No matter how cold it is out, he still loves getting wet.

I’ve written before about leaves falling. For some reason they capture my imagination this time of year. There are very few left on the cottonwoods, alders and poplars along the river but those that are left seem to be clinging tightly, perhaps struggling with the decision of whether to hold on or let go. Last week while walking in the sun, there was a light breeze and occasionally a leaf would come drifting, dancing down. They reminded me of princesses waving from a parade float: all fluttering, flittering, spinning and swirling. And they seemed joyful, too, like Charlie being off-leash.

It was like they had finally been able to come to terms with whatever fears or reluctance had kept them tied to the tree, shackled, and they were finally able to let go of the fears of falling. It felt as though, as I watched them drift down, that they called to me: You, too, can let go of your fears, let go of judgments and criticisms and comparisons, let go of what others expect of you. Come join us, dance with us, let go of your ties and shackles and flow into the currents of life and find your true destiny.

As I look at the naked trees this time of year, I see the stark beauty revealed that is hidden when the leaves cover up the branches.

And so, as Advent progresses towards Christmas and another year draws to a close, I continue to find myself longing for freedom, the freedom to let go of all attachments and dance like a leaf on the currents of God’s grace.