Count the Rings

I step outside and take a walk to try to clear my head
It's midnight and the stars are bright in northern Michigan
Nights like these I'm not really that sure just who I am
So the best that I can do is get some air and try to make it all make sense

The night is cool, and there's a whisper of a breeze
It takes its precious time as it rustles through the leaves
I concentrate on things that I can smell and hear and see
And as I ground myself, I feel so small beneath the branches of the trees

Who am I? What's inside? Split me open, count the rings
Maybe then you might find twenty nesting dolls of me
Twenty tangled intertwining histories
To care for them and carry them around, it's heavy

I wonder what would happen if I peeled it all away
When every layer's been stripped back, I wonder what would stay
I wonder what there's left beneath the doubt and shame and habits I'm not proud of
I know there's room to grow and put new roots down, so why do I still doubt it?

I think I'm scared I won't feel different when it's done
Are we shaped by water, earth, and years around the sun?
Or am i predetermined, doomed to fossilize where I've begun?
Could I be a person that I'm finally proud to show to everyone?

Who am I? What's inside? Split me open, count the rings
Maybe then you might find twenty nesting dolls of me
Twenty tangled intertwining histories
To care for them and carry them around, it's heavy

I look up, and I can see a thousand stars
It's weird to think about how many other worlds there are
I wonder if there's someone else who's looking from afar
And I wonder if on nights like these they're not really that sure just who they are