Day 118a: The tremendousness of Trees … (August 25, 2019)
It was weird (and sometimes downright dangerous) walking along first Highway 1 and then Highway 147 this morning – from the town of Benson, through the hamlet of Fork, and then onward towards Joppa. There were very few locations to rest or replenish, and those that did exist were closed at the time (“Note: locked Buddhist temples are just as un-Buddhist as locked Christian churches are fully un-Christian.”), and yet what did repeatedly catch my eye and bring me solace were the beautiful trees I saw along The Way …
“We are not trees with our roots embedded in the soil, sucking up minerals and sunbeams and liquid motherly love, so that each March we might gleam into leaf. Nor are we the beauty of meticulously foliaged garden beds, attracting my fair share of Oohs & Aahs. Compared with us, trees are immortal, and flower-heads not as tall, but all the more startling. No, we are neither of things, that is true, and yet we can attain the one’s longevity and the other’s daring – when we choose to Love anyway.” ~ inspired by Sylvia Plath
“And after a long time the boy came back again to his tree. I am sorry, Boy, said the tree, but I have nothing left to give you. My apples are all gone. My teeth are too weak for apples, said the boy. My branches are gone, said the tree, so you cannot swing on them. I am too old to swing on branches, said the boy. My trunk is gone, said the tree, so you can no longer climb me. I am too tired to climb, said the boy. I am so sorry, sighed the tree, I really wish that I could give you something, but I have nothing left. I am only an old stump now. I really don’t need very much now, said the boy, just a quiet place to sit and rest, as I am very tired. Well, said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, An old stump like me is a good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down here and rest awhile. And the boy did … and the tree was completely happy.” ~ via Shel Silverstein
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