Life Truths Revealed Through Trees
For more information on life see:
- The Gift of Gentleness
- Life Lessons I've Learned While Gardening
- Important Lessons I Learned From My Dogs
- Appreciating the Older Generation
- Important Lessons I have Learned From Children
- Life Lessons I Learned While Playing with Legos
- Life Lessons I Learned While Fishing
- Great Truths Reflected in a Great Lake
Trees-- where I live they are all around--maple trees, pine trees, oak trees, willows, birches and on and on. Tall and proud they grace the landscape with a sense of majesty and beauty. But more than that, trees remind me of important things in life. When I look at a large, old tree I am reminded of how people are connected to the natural world. I think about how I am one part of a a much bigger whole. As I look around and see the forests, I realize truths are revealed through nature.
You must learn to bend, so you don't break.
When weather gets rough and the wind blows, a tree will bend so it doesn't snap off. The tree adapts to the conditions around it so it can survive. Sometimes in life a person must bend like a tree. When a person is so rigid and cannot compromise with others, their relationships fracture. A person should listen and consider other's perspectives because then others know they are respected. Relationships involve give and take; without a certain amount of compromise, a relationship may suffer, and ultimately, end.
The Beauty of Trees:
Beauty comes with age.
Have you ever looked into the face of someone who is old? They have wrinkles and laugh lines around their eyes, sometimes their skin is marked with splotches and their hair may be gray or white. Yet, there is something beautiful about their appearance because they have reached full bloom. These older people are like old trees because they command our attention. We recognize their wisdom reflected in the lines etched on their faces. Similarly, our attention is drawn to the old tall tree with thick branches that has weathered many storms.Old trees and old people are beautiful because they remind us we can survive the rough times.
Deep roots encourage growth and strength.
Healthy strong trees are trees with deep roots. If people are to grow and become strong, they must understand their roots. They must undertstand what experiences made them who they are, and what values their ancestors passed on to them. When people gain understanding about themselves they feel grounded and secure, and then they can grow and become stronger individuals.
Appearances may change, but the core remains the same.
Through the seasons, trees change. The colors may change, leaves fall to the ground, and many trees look quite stark and bare against a winter sky. But the trunk, the core of the tree, is still solid. If you think about the people who are close to you, family and friends, they're like trees. They may change their appearances by changing the color of their hair or trying out a new style, but their core is still the same. The are still the same people who smile and laugh with you and cry with you, and that's because they are solid in their commitment to you. Remember to appreciate the ones close to you, even when their appearances change.
The smallest seed can grow into something BIG.
Look out across the landscape and see the tallest tree. It came from a very small seed. In life, a very small idea can grow into something monumental that changes the world. For example, think about Benjamin Franklin and how he discovered electricity. He had a question which grew into an idea, and he experimented with his kite and discovered electricity. Now our world depends heavily on this invention that came from one question that developed into an idea, and where would we be today without electricity?
No matter what the season, I love to look at trees. There is something quite majestic about a tree silhouetted against the sky. It doesn't even matter what type of tree it is. What matters is what truths that trees symbolize and how those truths affect our lives. Take some time to look at trees!