Shedding my protective outer layer

I recently read an article buy Madison Taylor which got me thinking and when I get thinking, I often create images to honour those thoughts and feelings.

Like trees who shed their bark when it is no longer big enough to protect them, we develop defence mechanisms to protect our most vulnerable parts of ourselves.  We create protective layers so that these vulnerable parts can heal and unfold.  With time, we outgrow them, allowing us to reach our full potential. Taylor stated that  “each time we shed a layer of defensiveness or ease up on a boundary that we no longer need, we metaphorically become bigger people.”  She suggests that while it is “essential to set and honour the protective barriers we have putminplace, it is equally important that we soften and release them when the time comes.  In doing so, we create space for our next phases. As a new year approaches, it is often a time of reflection.  I hope that when you look back on this past year,  you are able to shed some of your layers and become a bigger person.

“Like a tree our growth depends upon our ability to soften, loosen and shed boundaries and defences we no longer need”. Madison Taylor