From Among the Trees

From Among the Trees

By: Roger White

The outsider entered the forest. A gentle breeze that rustled the leaves stopped - the trees holding their breath. They do not know his intent. He may be destructive, as he so often is, he may be well-intended. All the trees of the forest wondered among themselves what this intruder meant to the wellbeing of their community. But this time, he came for a different purpose. A long, lean man with shoulder length hair, whiskers, flannel shirt, jeans and ankle high boots sat on a patch of damp, black soil. Silent in voice, still in body. In a moment of inward turning, he began his journey.

Their community is a palette of many colors. Tall, sturdy trees with skins of brown and white are as mothers to the community. Their strong limbs reach out, their leaves of yellow and red fold together as if holding hands, giving shade and cover to their youth just now discovering life.

Oaks of red, white and black stand as paladins of the forest. Walnuts and hickories of rich umber shade one another. Rose trees of fair skin offer their succulent fruits. Birches, elms and ashes dangle foliage of every hue. This is their community. They built it together over the centuries. They built together their canopy. They stand together on the same floor carpeted of grass and moss. From their basement, they take nourishment and share it equally among all in the community.

Trees do not compete among themselves. They do not reject the seedling of another tree, but rather, protect and nourish it. They make space for sunlight to reach one another’. They weather storms together, providing cover for their neighbors. When one falls, the other trees offer their old friend solace and comfort on the floor. The trees of the forest live together in fellowship as they have done for countless generations.

A single leaf drifted downward and landed on the back of the visitor’s hand. His gaze went from a panoramic view of the trees to that single leaf. The visitor tucked the leaf in his shirt pocket, lifted himself from his earthy seat, brushed off his pants and inhaled the very oxygen the trees provided him. For the first time, he felt welcomed to return to the trees.

As the visitor walked out of the forest, a quiet outward turning filled his mind and he contemplated: These aged life forms, all of them trees, yet unique and diverse, exist side by side in such splendid harmony. Could it be their resoluteness to one another brings a lesson to man about the infinite potential of coexistence?

Then, a gentle breeze rose from among the trees and rustled the leaves.

And, as though in a whisper, he heard…learn from the trees.

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