Imagine a forest spreading before you, vast and undulating into the distance. At the entrance are well manicured paths and fruit trees planted in rows. As you wander deeper, you see hardwoods, conifers and Joshua trees sprinkled among the apples, pears and persimmons. The paths become wild and irregular; the trees are quite a bit taller now. You see Lebanon cedar and Sitka spruce, stringybark and sequoia. You feel the earth breathing here and singing to herself.
On the other side of the globe, a teacher dreams of the potential of their students, but lacks the buildings and books to make it come true. Elsewhere, a doctor envisions healthcare without limits, beginning with fresh food and clean air, playgrounds and parks; the ill and injured get needed care without getting a medical bill. Parents strive not just to feed, clothe, and shelter their children, but to enrich their lives and empower them to become their best selves. Children work to keep their elderly parents safe and comfortable in their own homes. Artists create with passion and seek to enliven the whole world with craft and beauty.
All those dreams and desires, the worthy and earnest ones, rise on the air. The winds carry them to the forest where I am waiting. Each one needs currency of some sort in order to come true. “What is required?”
A simple coincidence that clicks into place, allowing people to find each other and manifest a common good… Cherry blossoms drift down.
Travelers and customers to make a small business to thrive… Mangoes and dates arrive in baskets.
A loan to purchase a home… Hazelnuts and pine cones in bushels.
Schools and clinics and studios… Pallets of birch bark and cork, acorns and oak planks.
Farms and libraries, cities and bridges… Shiploads of hickory, bamboo, ebony and teak.
The forest itself is on the move, growing and flowing in infinite abundance, and I, like a conductor, direct the notes where the music is most needed.