The Maple Tree

When one of my daughters was in second grade, each member of her class received a tiny baby tree to plant at home.  Hers was just a little stick, the smallest in the class, under a foot tall.  We didn’t even know what type of tree it was.  Still, after planting it in our front yard, we protected and watered that little stick year after year.  All these years later, that child is an adult and the tree (a maple) is as tall as the house.  

There is something unusual about this particular maple, though.  Through some genetic anomaly, it has turned out to be a peculiar tree.  It’s very tall, very skinny, has multitudes of tiny, short twigs along the trunk with just a couple of longer branches, and a silly little tuft of branches at the top.  In some ways, it’s a little like my daughters – tall, thin, unique, with a little bit of silly.

Along the way, we’ve discussed whether we should try to prune this maple or call in an arborist to see what can be done to make the tree “normal”.  In the end, we’ve decided to let it be.  It stands tall, skinny, and proud in the middle of our front yard.   

Lesson learned:  Why shoot for normal?  Being you is so much better.  Don’t hide.  Stand tall and proud, however you are meant to be.

 

It was Earth Day twelve years ago that this tree was planted.  As Earth Day comes around this year and the maple tree is just starting to bud, I’ve been thinking about the beauty in nature’s diversity.  I went looking through my personal library for a book that perfectly portrays the moral I’ve learned from this tree.  I couldn’t find one.  

Maybe it’s time to write a book of my own?