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True story.
What if there are more to trees than meets the eye?
A short while ago I strolled along the park not far from my house, taking in the crisp, cool evening air. The clouds were dark and dismal, but somehow their mysterious essence was comforting. Past the playground and beyond the soccer field there is a small stretch of land, a little park to walk your dog and enjoy nature. Several trees stand there, ordinary trees, spread out evenly along the park. However, there is one tree that is quite the eye catcher. It’s a sad little tree, quite small and old and fragile looking; its branches twisted and mangled, its gray bark peeling off, its crooked position, its large thorns protruding out of its limbs. Just looking at it made you feel sorry for it.
But the truth is that it’s not really all that bad. It’s much stronger than it looks, and its leaves are lush and green in the summer. As odd as it is to say, it’s ugly in a beautiful sort of way. (That rhymed!)
I visit the tree quite often. I like to sit in it and think. It’s my inspiration tree.
One day, as I was sitting high up in its branches, I decide that it needed a name. I chose to call it Orik. I’m not sure why I named it that, but I later found out that the name means: from the ancient oak tree. Go figure.
Anyway, today’s visit was a bit different. Usually when I go there, I have my headphones in, tuning out everything around me….but not today. Today I chose to linger in the silence of the night.
Once again, I sat high up in the tree, about two feet from the very top. As the wind blew through my hair, I pondered to myself…
… What would life be like if I were a tree?
Well, it wouldn’t be a very good life, I thought. I would stand in the same spot my whole life, never getting to see the world and explore it’s wonders….just the same thing…..every day……for the rest of my life. That doesn’t sound very fun. Not to mention I would have creatures clawing at me and children climbing on me and ripping my branches and leaves off. I would have no shelter from the rain or snow. I would be outrageously hot in the summer and bitter cold in the winter. And there was also the possibility of being chopped down. The life of a tree must be miserable, I thought with the little tree called Orik in mind, and it only made me pity the poor thing even more.
I climbed down to the lowest branch and sat down on it. I teetered back and forth, my legs swung limply underneath me. As I did so, I felt almost as if I were going to lose my balance and fall off. I quickly caught myself and sat up straight, clutching the branches firmly. Then another thought struck me…
…What if I had fallen off?
Oh, that’s easy! I would hit the ground and probably get hurt. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad, since the branch was quite low. But then again, if I hit the ground the right way, there could be some damage.
This triggered yet another idea.
What if I fell and didn’t hit the ground? What if something caught me before I could? What if the tree caught me?
Now I bet you’re thinking, “That’s silly! Trees don’t catch people unless the branches were already under them.”
Oh, but what if? What if a tree had a personality? What if a tree could get lonely? What if it enjoyed people climbing and playing in it because it liked the company? What if a tree knew that it had no shelter and instead used its ability to shelter those who need it? It would provide shade in the blistering summer sun and its wood would make a cozy cabin for the winter. What if it didn’t mind the idea of being chopped down, because it knew that it would be providing for others. What if it liked living in the same place and watching everything grow and change with each passing year, witnessing the transformation of the earth around it?
I mean, how much do we really know about trees? Trees are such a huge part of nature and they’re one of the most frequently used natural resources. We know how they grow and what their function is. Is that all? Or is there something more? Like for instance, can a tree communicate?
Yes, I know trees don’t talk. That’s just ridiculous.
But what if they had another form of communication...like the way the branches sway in the breeze, or the sound it makes when leaves brush gently against each other? What if that was their way of speaking? What if when a leaf blows off of a tree, it carries along a message? Wouldn’t that be phenomenal?
Oh well. Perhaps it’s just a bunch of nonsense…just a lot of wasted time and thought about nothing. Who knows? But it really gets you thinking.
Are there more to trees than meets the eye?
The Midnight Lotus · Thu May 21, 2009 @ 02:08am · 0 Comments |
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