Shallow Roots Snap Fast 🪓

"Storms make trees take deeper roots." — Dolly Parton

Everyone wants to weather the storm.

Stand strong. Keep calm. Hold the line.
But strength, real strength, doesn’t come from willpower.
It comes from what holds you underneath.

The tree doesn’t survive because it resists the wind.
It survives because of how far down it’s willing to go.

I learned that the hard way.

“The strongest roots endure the fiercest storms. Nourish yours wisely.”

There was a season in my life where everything hit at once.
Loss. Betrayal. Burnout.
And I kept saying to myself, “Stay strong.”

But I wasn’t strong. I was bracing.

Holding my breath. Clenching my jaw. Plastering affirmations over emotional rot.

Until the wind got worse.
And something gave.

Not everything.
Just the shallow parts I had mistaken for depth.

That season didn’t destroy me.
It revealed me.

It showed me what I’d actually been rooted in.
Validation. Achievement. Control.

Not truth. Not stillness. Not self-trust.

The truth is, we all have roots.
But some of us are trying to grow oak trees out of sand.

These small notes arrive quietly,
like morning light through a cracked window.
No noise. Just truth.
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Your inner work.

Today’s prompt:

“What am I rooting my strength in, and is it sustainable?”

Is it attention? Perfection? Avoidance? External approval?

Now ask:

“What deeper root do I want to cultivate instead?”

Stillness? Integrity? Discernment? Faith?

Pick one.
Write it down.
Water it with daily action, not fantasy.

Because roots don’t grow from what you hope for.
They grow from what you practice.

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Some of us are trying to grow. Others are just trying to snack.

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In the end.

You weren’t made to be unshakable.

You were made to be rooted.

And that doesn’t mean you never bend.
It means you know who you are, even when everything else forgets.

So feed the parts of you that last.

The parts that don’t perform.
That don’t depend on applause.
That don’t vanish when things get hard.

Because when your roots are honest…

The storm becomes your teacher.

Not your end.

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Let’s talk about it.

What storm taught you about your roots?

Maybe it was a breakup.
A death.
A moment of collapse that made you see what was real, and what wasn’t.

What helped you stay standing?
Or get back up?

If you’re ready, share it.
Let’s remind each other that storms don’t just test us.

They show us where to grow.

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Thanks for reading today’s Healing Text.

If you’re here, you’re part of something honest, something that makes space for healing without the performance. And I don’t take that lightly.

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With gratitude,
— Ryan Puusaari ☕💛

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