Micro-real life-practice
Alice Walker—novelist, poet, and social activist, winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for The Color Purple—was once asked how she stays true to herself. She answered, “Be more like nature—more accepting of your right to be who you are and to express yourself.”
She continued, “I think of myself as a tree that produces what it is that I produce.” People may ask, “Why don’t you do this? Why don’t you do that?” She added, “Would you say that to a peach tree?”
It’s a simple metaphor, but it rings true: when life is lived in alignment, our authentic expression becomes natural. We all long to live this authenticity.
The flowering of life
The sun rises. A flower turns slowly to meet the dawn light; leaves unfurl; bright red petals open into a chorus of color across the forest floor. Roots seek nourishment and moisture below. She moves softly, purposefully, without hesitation—meeting the conditions that are here now.
The flower doesn’t question its purpose. It aligns with light, water, season, and soil—expressing itself without self-doubt. It lives in alignment with the unfolding of life, which includes competition, decay, disturbance, damage, repair, and ultimately disintegration. It holds all of this without losing coherence.
Like Alice says, the flower is true to who she is—guided by an innate sensing system.
Humans, by contrast, carry choice. We can align or misalign—pulled by fear, image, hurry, or habit. We can meet life as it is, or try to bend it to our wants.
The flower or tree mirrors coherence: life aligned with life—meeting what is, moment to moment.
We need a bridge; the six heart virtues are that bridge.
Facing the day like a flower: When–Which–How micro-practice
- When: Morning, face the day as the flower faces the sun.
- Which: One moment of appreciation. Ask, “What light am I receiving now?” Let one virtue surface—appreciation, compassion, forgiveness, humility, understanding, or valor. Feel it. No effort—just allow.
- How: Name one simple action to move this virtue into the world today—a small kindness, a caring check-in, or steady, present listening.
The flower knows. We can model this with intention.
The flower receives light and turns it into fragrance, color, and seed—new forms are born from he sun’s gift. In the same way, our hearts receive love and translate it into behaviors that feed the field we share.
Nature is flow. We can follow—virtues leading, coherence local first—then carry that coherence into our words, listening, posture, and behavior across our relationships: at work and play, in organizations, groups, friendships, and family.
This is coherence in motion. You and I are coherence in motion—not as an idea, but as noticing how love shows up in everyday moments.
Choose one living teacher this week—a tree, a flower, a river. Visit it for one minute a day. Observe without fixing. Then let that noticing guide one small act.
| Six Heart Virtues: Appreciation • Compassion • Forgiveness • Humility • Understanding • Valor Try it today: Name the virtue, take one breath, choose one small act. Practice with us at thesixheartvirtues.com. |