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.
No comments:
Post a Comment