—Virginia Nava Hieger
What is it to be a visionary?
To be a visionary is to see what others don’t see
and, if it is more than seeing, it is like being an invisible architect.
A visionary is one who knows that the seed is the oak tree.
It isn’t about faith or believing, like believing in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy.
It is about knowing. A visionary knows,
knows the seed is the oak tree,
and sees them together as one.
Others, non-visionaries, only see the seed, a narrow view of the seed.
They don’t even see a seed is there; they devalue the seed and don’t plant it;
they abandon it because, far from seeing,
they can only see a seed, not an oak tree.
They only believe in what is in front of them.
They don’t understand what is in front of them isn’t a seed, but an oak tree.
I see oak trees all the time. I see beyond time. I see beyond the limits of what others see.
And when others are able to see the seed is an oak tree,
then life for them becomes an oak tree
and future generations get to enjoy the shade and nourishment that the oak tree gives.
This is my legacy to pass on, the visionary seeing to others.
And the trial is to continue seeing as a visionary who sees the oak tree
instead of buying into only seeing seeds
or even worse, not even seeds alone.
Maybe the journey to victory isn’t even having others see a certain way;
maybe it is to remain a visionary, to come one day
to hug the oak tree that came from the seed,
to sit underneath it and feel its presence, its shade, and to see others enjoy it too.
Maybe my visionary gift, after all, isn’t the “burden” of not belonging or being weird;
maybe it is a gift of belonging to myself
and a gift of the fruition of the gift of the oak tree
that the vision brings to life.
A seed and an oak tree coming together as one.
A vision brought to life.
A visionary, like carrying a baby in the womb, then birthing it
and seeing it grow, a visionary giving life.