I LOVE trees. There, I’ve said it. As a child, we had a magnificent tree in our back yard. I’m not sure if my parents intended it to be so big. It stretched fence to fence, and my brother and I had wonderful fun climbing up into its sturdy limbs. Occasionally there’d be a lesson in gravitational acceleration as one of us (usually me) would come falling down from up high.
Each year the tree would turn a brilliant deep red in colour and the leaves would fall to the ground. For several weeks we would all rake the leaves into piles, then bury them in the yard to become compost. We’d jump in the piles, throw the leaves at each other and stuff them down each other’s shirts. That tree eventually succumbed to poor health, a couple of limbs failed, and it was cut down.
My parents replaced that wonderful tree with another. It too had beautiful leaves. In a light breeze the leaves made a soft rustling sound which I found soothing. And as it grew it developed sturdy limbs and my children enjoyed playing in its shade. Swings and trapeze once more. And the annual raking of the leaves – my son loved jumping and rolling in the leaves. Sometimes we would sit on the back porch just looking at it and listening to it. And over summer we would sit beneath the shady branches.
The tree turned 20 years old and one day it split down the middle of the trunk. As a family we were all so sad that this tree too would have to come down.
In a world filled with stuff, stuff that we don’t necessarily need and that we might play with or engage with for a short time – this stuff usually ends up on a shelf, in a box or in a bin. I don’t know what these two trees cost to buy – but they provided decades of memories and fun for two generations of children.
Next time you are thinking of stuff, why not think about a tree? They do more than just oxygenate the air and create homes for birds and bees. They are a source for simple and wonderful memories too.
Trees are uncomplicated. Let them uncomplicate you too.
As we head into autumn, why not say “thank you” to your favourite tree. Give it a hug, sit in its coolth, and simply say “thanks for the memories”.
David Clayton
–Husband, Father and Massage Guy —
