ANOTHER BLOG POST FROM LAST YEAR THAT I WANT TO RE-ADD TO MY WEBSITE. MY EVERGREEN POSTS.
According to a comprehensive study of the world’s plants, Planet Earth is home to 60,065 species of trees. An amazing number, I’m sure you’ll agree. Let’s hope the numbers stay the same, or keep multiplying till the end of time. In a big way, our lives depend on trees.
In my high school days, I learned a lot about trees. For instance, in botany and horticulture class I learned about deciduous plants which include trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials. These are the trees that lose all of their leaves for part of the year through a process called abscission. And in those cases, leaf loss is brought about by cold climates of winter.
Having never experienced a cold winter, I was always mesmerized by those kinds of trees. I so wanted to see a tree bare-naked so that I could locate the many nests weaved by birds. I climbed many trees but hardly ever saw any nests.
Conversely, in my tropical country, I heard of plants losing their leaves during the dry season but was never aware of it happening. If and when in the far chance I saw a leafless tree it was only because that tree was dying.
The opposite of a deciduous tree is evergreen. But contrary to what you might think, evergreens do shed foliage, only, not as obvious as their counterparts.
Trees are one of those living things that have always fascinated me. And I’ve often wondered what kind of tree I would be if I had been blessed to become a tree. I think that if I would have had a choice I would have chosen to be a fruit tree.
What about you? If you were a tree, say, a fruit tree, what kind of fruit would you bear? And as you’re there making up your mind, I will link you to my favorite poem about a tree. I loved reciting it with my mother. Check it out if you have time.
But trees don’t move. They cannot and yet, I’m sure that trees live long fulfilling lives.
One amazing thing about us humans is that we can move around, physically, creatively, and mentally. Though some times, many of us go through life tethered to the things we know; knowing only the things we know that we become static in our own lives. Many times, it’s fear that holds us back. Fear of the unknown.
Well, I’m here to remind you that sometimes we need to sublimate our fears and go out looking for unfamiliar things in order to find ourselves.
I’ve been doing some of that recently; been roaming through a forest and getting completely undone in the process of finding what kind of fruit tree I’d be. And in that forest– the forest being my new writing experience — I’ve gotten lost.
Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. — Henry David Thoreau
I’ve been lost but I’ve been in real good company.
It started nine weeks ago when I opened the door to ‘forest M2P’ that showed me an image of where I want to be. If that’s what Henry David Thoreau meant in his quote ‘we begin to understand ourselves,’ then opening that door made me understand a lot.
I’ve been in the company of strangers who became friends almost immediately; friends who were busy and a little lost. Like me, they were out looking to discover what kind of fruit trees they were.
Well, my cartel partners (what we call ourselves) and I are out of the woods, and I venture to say, we are all better versions of ourselves for surviving.
Story Cartel Course, known as Write to Publish (W2P), was an intense course on everything about book publishing. We were handed tools, valuable tools that I hope stay with me from now on. And this week on Thursday, February 7th, we will be revealing some of our accomplishments, our fruits in the form of short stories to the world.
n.b: this is a reminder that this all happened last year. I’m reposting old blog posts because I was unable to transfer them electronically to this new website.
Feeling lost, crazy and desperate belongs to a good life as much as optimism, certainly, and reason. — Alain De Botton
When you’re feeling lost, take heart. It’s just your brain gathering the information it needs to make good decisions. — Josh Kaufman
I need to have a reason why I’m doing something. Otherwise, I’m lost. — Steve Mcqueen
I got lost but look what I found. — Irving Berlin
I’m a little light-headed still, but I write this post today to let you know that I’m on the road to recovery. On Thursday, or by the end of the week, I’ll share with you a door (links) that will transport you into different forests where the fruit selection is plentiful and diverse. I’m sure you’ll like it.
And the week after that I will send you a link to my very own story. Yay!
To be honest, I thought of posting more often to tell you about it, but the learning curve I was in sapped me of energy for more. Anyway, seeing as you and I are friends, I know you’ll understand.
A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds.
UPDATE:
The good deed that resulted from THAT course is my precious little book — a tender short story — that is still available at Amazon.com
Please, look it up. WANTED: Husband/Handyman is the title. And if you feel so inclined, share my happy news with your friends. Tell them it’s an unconventional relationship-story of two young, ordinary people who society has labeled misfits, but for who extraordinary things like kindness, acceptance, validation, and love happen. Click to find out what kind of fruit my tree bears. *wink*
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING TODAY.
I Wish You Miracles. Selma
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