iRelle

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Yesterday, I drew a tree. I started out with some lines and swirls on a blank piece of paper and just kept drawing until I liked what I saw. I filled it in a bit here, shaded it slightly there, hung a few pears from the branches, sketched in an owl.

It is a tree of life… A piece of symbolism that has existed for centuries across hundreds of cultures and countries – an image of a living, growing, healthy thing that represents life in all its forms… an object that can be nurtured or hacked down, all at the whim of any man.

Perhaps in this era of nuclear weapons and sensitive political situations we are balancing on the edge… in the hands of one man, one way or the other, the tree of the life of the planet can continue to grow, or it could be shattered with a few well-placed blows. But can the tree ever be completely destroyed by a person? History has shown us men who have tried to ‘trim’ some branches off the tree… men like Hitler who tried to consign those branches to gas chambers and concentration camps, and prune the tree to suit their own particular garden. But slowly, surely, the tree puts resin over the wound and new shoots spring up. Stronger parts of the tree shelter the fragile life until it can stand the wind and the rain that might be thrown at it.

That’s the tree of the life of the world. The tree of life of an individual isn’t as grandiose. It doesn’t support millions of people or hundreds of clashing ideas… yet in some small way, in the soil where its roots are buried perhaps, those things play a part. They are a piece of the history, of what anchors the tree.  One life makes the trunk… and the choices and paths that the life travels make twisted, entwined, forked branches on the tree.  Experiences build the moss growing on the bark. Memories and things learned hang like fruit from the branches. The birds and insects that alight on the branches are the people we meet along the way… whether they have a nest on a sturdy branch, or are just walking along a twig for a while, the family, friends and acquaintances become a part of every tree and shape the way it grows. People, like birds, will take a part of you and spread it across the world – and you will never know how far that tiny piece of you will go.

Today you will make a choice that will sprout a new twig. Maybe it will grow into one of the most important branches on your tree. Maybe it will always be a twig, never required to bear weight. Maybe it will take you to new people and places, or maybe it will curl in and remain a secret, hidden part of your life. The tree of your life will never stop growing.