I was thinking about this saying today, in the context of my own life. I was thinking that it is difficult to have both roots and wings at the same time... how can you fly while you're rooted to the ground? But then I had an epiphany! Maybe we're supposed to be Ents. You know, walking tree people. They have roots (or at least root-like appendages) AND they walk around! Very slowly and with great deliberation (sometimes a little too much), but move they do.
Our parents are supposed to give us roots, establish boundaries and a strong foundation for our character, and also wings, so we can continue to form ourselves as we mature and take charge of our own direction. Someday we will do the same for our own children (many of my friends already are). What a challenge!
Right now I feel like I'm about to launch myself into the air, and I'm just hoping that my roots can make the jump. I suppose I'm already a grown-up to many people, but every time I encounter another one of those launch pads into adult life I feel like a kid again. I wonder if that will continue for the rest of my life... there are loads of grown-up milestones ahead of me... will I ever actually feel like I've accomplished the task of Growing Up? I kind of don't think so. Even though I often go through life accomplishing daily tasks of a normal adult with perfectly acceptable aptitude, when I stop and think about life I'm always amazed at how much more is left to go! That's a good thing, right? "Unless you become as a little child..." and all that?
