Lessons from Mother Nature

   As life begins to return to some degree of normalcy after the recent winter storm, it sometimes forces one to begin to look at things a bit differently, seeking out the answers to many of the age old questions about why, when, and where. Why did this happen now? It’s December and it was a major rain and windstorm. It is more often a blizzard like-snow storm at this time of the year. Why did it happen mostly during the middle of the day instead of some other time, often deep into the night? This storm seemed to hit many different areas causing many to lose power, lose parts of their home and shut down many businesses for several days, while other places, only a mile or two down the road, were able to remain open and continue to provide services, food, and heat to those who the storm had shut down.

   This particular day, three days after the storm, was bright and sunny but a bit cold and there was a slight breeze. But I had some errands to run so I started the car, turned up the heat and got on the highway. It became pretty clear to me after only a couple of miles that others passing me were in much more of a hurry to get to their destinations, while I was maintaining the appropriate speed limit, being the law abiding citizen that I am.

   The road was clear of trees and debris but it was interesting to see the sizes and the number of trees that had been toppled by the 60 mph and higher winds that had accompanied the heavy rains. And even on this day, three days later, water was everywhere.

   But you may be asking what caught my attention. I have seen many storms before in my lifetime, but what became very interesting to me was the type, the size, the root networks now exposed above the ground surface and the perceived age of the fallen trees. The twenty miles of highway on which I was traveling cut through a fairly wooded area with all types of trees of all ages, heights, from very tall pines and other large types, to the still very shrub like one. But the wind and storm did not appear to pick favorites to pull from the ground. Size or type did not appear to be immune to Mother Nature.

   As I continued on my journey I began to notice that what many of the fallen trees had in common were smaller root systems, the foundation that would keep the tree in the ground and provide the nutrition to grow. But what was a bit puzzling was that a number of the trees that had suffer from the ice storm of years ago, all the dead ones, were still standing, branches and new growth long gone, but still lining several miles of the highway untouched by the recent wind and rain, acting as reminders of the past.

    On my own property at home and within the confines of the neighborhood several trees had fallen in the storm and being nearby I took a more detailed look at the root system that had been lifted out of the ground.  I was surprised at what I saw or did not see.

    I know we are not trees but there are some that have compared the growth of trees to the grow of people. What both may have in common is a history, a common family background and a good solid foundation, family roots. Now it is easy to think about trees and plants with a solid root system. With humans, we tend to think more in terms of our roots, beliefs, and character. For me, trees can have character too. But it are those beliefs, the character and support, that get us through those challenging times in life. There are times when we are confronted with difficult and challenging situations, but our strength and determination through those times comes from our beliefs, our character and often our roots. Now, they may not be the ones we plant in the ground, but they are the ones that help us grow into the individuals we become.

   I am not a tall pine tree or a stubby maple, but I will continue to look at the trees that have blown over because of a storm and think about what could have been done to help save them. But what I do understand is that while Mother Nature tries to teach us to be alert about what is going on around us when it comes to the weather and the trees, her message also can apply to our everyday life as a human and build upon our strengths of character and what we believe, our human roots.