It was during my cooling off on the back patio today that I had my revelation for today. Trees. I love trees. Whenever we talk about moving, my "must have" list includes big trees. It's a big part of the reason the desert may never be home for me. I don't count cactus as a tree. I love deciduous trees especially. (The high desert is a possibility for us as you can find deciduous trees there.)
I remember our trip to Ireland and how it became a standing joke with the group we were traveling with as they would often find me snapping picture after picture of trees, tree trunks, my daughter and husband wrapping their arms around huge trees trying to meet.
So today while sitting on the patio, I was wondering what it was about trees that affects me so profoundly and then it hit me. Texture. I love all the scars, missing limbs, the differing shapes, the shelter they offer the birds and animals. It's a genuine beauty. It's not at all superficial.
Trees are more beautiful for all the signs of aging. Their bark cracks, falls off, gets more deeply craggy. The wind blows them sometimes into a permanent tilt. They have limbs break off, they continue to grow. Their quiet strength gives me such pleasure and joy. It's their age that makes them beautiful.
They continue to offer shelter to any who seek it under and in their branches. Until they die, and even after, they offer all they have to the world. Whether it's their height, their width, dense, or sparse, they are all different and all a very special part of the world.
It's what I want to be. Bring on the wrinkles, the scars, the leaning in the wind. It gives me character and that's what I aspire to. I don't care if I'm not the current version of "beauty" as long as I'm growing. I will do my best to offer kindness whenever It's needed and even when it's not. I will strive to be a craggy, lined, gorgeous, person because of life, not in spite of life.
So as we travel through our days, let's picture ourselves as trees and embrace all that makes us who we are. The good as well as the bad. It's what our lives are all about. Texture....
