Are We Still Talking About Trees?
There are two old trees in our front yard which have had a profound effect on our yard and its occupants. We’ve had a plan for what happens when these trees die however the trees have no plans for death so our plans have faded as each spring brings new buds to these old trees. The first tree reminds me of a homeowner who won’t sell his house in the face of highway expansion.We expected this tree to die years ago when we were building a small garage. We waited to lay concrete in expectation of the tree’s expiration but we finally just built around the tree. The bird house I mounted to the tree now looks old but the tree is about the same.
The second sentinel of our yard is a very thick old tree that has a story and a lot of character. I first met this tree back in the nineties. It has slowly lost all but about twelve feet of trunk and most of its limbs. It is budding again this spring. This tree has been hollow longer than most newlyweds have been alive. There is a hollowed out portion underground where a stray cat spent one whole winter. We were able to even slide a cat bed and food bowl through the access hole. Woodpeckers have kept their stomachs full from this tree and red squirrels have created their own little multiverse within its bark sided walls. These two trees aren’t in the prime of their life however they give of themselves even though they must be tired. They started out like strangers you see because of a shared schedule and have slowly become our best friends. The more we have seen their struggle, the more we pull for them. The longer they live, the more we admire them.
The more they provide shade for us and shelter for the bird and small animals, the more we owe them. It’s similar to what we see from people. When we are young, we soak up reserves and grow quickly. We focus our efforts on ourselves and think nothing of it. Our facades sometimes grow more quickly than our character. Age hits us, much like our two trees. It really isn’t a violent act but rather a natural consequence from the blessing of life.As we lose the physical gifts, we strengthen the internal gifts we didn’t know we even possessed. When trees are near death, or during drought, they will produce seed in abundance and release them to the ground. It’s like they know the end is near and this is an attempt to give the next generation a chance. These two old trees still house many and have branches strong enough and alive enough to produce leaves and shade. It’s like that with people, even as they near the end they will sometimes give out good advice or even support others at the expense of their own limited resources. They give what they can give. Admire those old trees, they once had all the physical strength in the world but now have only internal strength to offer in a world that admires only the bark and leaves and strong branches. One day, you will look like them as well. I’m not sure, but are we still talking about trees?
