Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tree's speak to me (said in spooky Sixth Sense Whisper)

I got to take a walk this week. ~squeeee~ With all the CrAzInEss this month, that's a big deal. It's a breath of fresh air in a frenzied time.

I find that I'm drawn to odd shaped trees. Straight, perfect trees are pretty, but the ones that are bent out of shape intrigue me. They're eye-catching. Make me wonder . . . they're inspiring and even encouraging. They tell stories. Lately, when I take walks, I find that God's creation is teaching me a lesson of hope by way of example.

You see. . . the last 10 years have been rough. Grief, loss, illness (me and other family memebers) It's been one thing after another. I've found that over the long haul of difficulty, I've lost a bit of my old self. Things that I used to like about me have vanished. I've changed and I can't go back. I was a young sappling, straight and shooting skyward. 10 years worth of pressure tends to bend the bough in strange positions.

But you know what? I like the odd shaped trees. They stick out from the crowd. They have character.


This type of bendy tree below, that's the kind where we like to take pictures of loved ones gathered 'round or even sitting upon. The bendier, the better. There were trees w/ more bent than this one, but my camera batteries died. I call this tree the "back stretch tree" Makes my back feel better just looking at it.


This tree is the champion of all trees. It wasn't just weighted down by a dead wood. It was hemmed in by rotting roots, covered by dead weight; top, bottom and sides. This tree found a sliver of hope and stood its ground. Sometimes all we have is a small sliver of light. This tree took it and calls out to us to, "Grab onto the light, no matter how slight, and GROW!"


I cal this combo of trees the "Lovers Embrace" Two tree's entwined in an eternal tango. It even looks like the big one is puckering up for a kiss. ~Geesh~ Makes me want to put a privacy screen around these two. I'm starting to blush! Passion. Commitment. Lucky trees!


This is not a tree. It's a goose w/ baby fuzzy-lings. I just thought they were cute. I love to see new hatchlings in spring.
So, these trees taugh me something. Although I've longed to go back to be the old me, the perfectly straight tree that blends in with most of the others. I realize that a bent tree can't go back to the way it was. But the mangled trees are beautiful. They are picture worthy. They have a story to tell. Hope to give. Maybe, instead, when wind, circumstance (or whatever) bends our bough, we should seek out the beauty and benefit of our new shape instead of trying to regain the old. And maybe I should give more effort into appreciating the strange bent of others. . . . . . . . . .

I think I feel a sequel of this post coming up for the future. I better charge those camera batteries!

What kind of things in nature inspire you?

18 comments:

Krystallia Sakellariou said...

Hi!
I liked your story about the bent trees very much, it is so true!

I am a slightly bent tree myself I think, and that is how I started my own blog...And as you say, I wouldn´t want to change into becoming a straight tree, even if I could...

C.R. Evers said...

Hi Krystallia!!! Thnx for stopping by and commenting! I appreciate your kind words. I'll be sure to stop by your blog and check it out.

Christy

PJ Hoover said...

Oh, I love your post.
I'm not the same person I was ten years ago, but I'm much happier with myself and everything now.
i'm sorry the last ten years have been rough. Here's to better times!
Take care.

C.R. Evers said...

awww! Thanks PJ. You are so sweet, and yes. . . better times are already rolling. :0)

Angela Ackerman said...

Great post, and I'm not just saying that because I love odd shaped trees, too!

There's something calming and eternal about trees, something that speaks of patience and hope amd always looking forward. We can learn a lot from trees.

Hope your future is bright!

Samantha said...

Lately, it's been birds – cardinals and finches. Ya know what? They're usually found in trees, and sometimes difficult to spot. And when you do, it's like you're let in on a little secret.

Kelly H-Y said...

What a fantastic post ... such a wonderful way to view life. Love the tree images and comparisons. So sorry to hear about the rough times over the past 10 years, but hope that everything going forward is unbelievably wonderful!

Bish Denham said...

I too have an affinity for trees. It seems the older, more gnarled they are, the more we love and respect them. We recognize that they have lived through storms and survived. I like to apply that same attitude towards our elderly.

C.R. Evers said...

Angela, Very well put about the "speaking of patience . . ." I like that!

Hi SL! Ohh, so true about feeling like you're let in on a little secret. :0) Also well put!

THanks Kelly!

Hi Bish! Very good point about the elderly!

Adrienne said...

I've always been drawn to those bendy trees, too.
This is weird, but I've always liked weeds poking up through the sidewalk. There's a bright orange flower blooming in the middle of the sidewalk near the high school here. That's determination!

Kelly Polark said...

Great photos and descriptions! I do love trees too, especially in the fall. My living room is full of tree portraits and fall leaves all over!

Unknown said...

I like the odd trees, too...and I like the analogy you presented!

Unknown said...

Welcome to the world of "bent trees." It's much more fun, but it's sad that it takes many moons to realize and appreciate oneself as lucky to be a little bent. Life becomes more interesting when it throws you the "curves."

Angela said...

I love your tree pictures. I never thought of life in ten year spans... I know I'm a VERY differnt preson that I was ten years ago.

Here I love to see lone trees. But what I like most lately is seeing everything in bloom we have huge field of rape seed - bright crayola yellow and the fields go on and on and on.

There is something inspiring about their brightness and their enormity. Yesterday driving past one my nine year old said, "I just want to run down the middle of it."

That's just how it make me feel....energized!

ian sands said...

I'm inspired by trees too.. like you said, the mangled trees are beautiful and they are picture worthy and...

they make great fire wood and you can boil them down and make paper out of them to draw on and I guess if you boil them down enough, you can make toilet paper out of them...

but maybe not out of the bark.. that might be scratchy

D.A. Riser said...

I liked your tree analogy and the tree photos, Christy. I like taking shots of trees as well.

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

Love it - I totally believe nature speaks to all. All of nature. I have changed too in 10 years and thank the lord! :) Though I think I may be more shaped like a bush after 2 kids - than a long lean tree. I am jealous. :)

Vijaya said...

Great post. I feel the same way about wrinkles and scars. They tell a story. But always, always, nature is inspiring ... one thing I routinely see are blades of grass poking up through concrete. How strong and persistent they must be!