Tree

They are cutting down a tree in my front yard today. It is a really big maple tree and, as I was watching the men prepare to start, it occurred to me that the tree is like an alcoholic/drug addict; one who keeps on boozing and using to the bitter end. The unfortunate ones. Those who didn't make it to a recovery program such as ETA. My thanks and praise to the old HP for those of us that did.

On the surface, the tree looks healthy: stout trunk, sturdy branches and lots of leaves. Helicopters containing seeds for baby trees arrived by the billions just this past spring. It functions pretty much as a strong tree that has lived a long time. You would say that the tree still had a lot of life left in it.

Upon closer inspection, hidden by the leaves, you see all the dead branches. There are many sticks on the ground underneath the tree, too. They show up every time we get a good breeze blowing outside. More and/or bigger than other maple trees but, still, nothing that indicates a crisis. The dead wood up among the branches might say that the tree needs to be trimmed, as it does look a bit shabby and unkempt. Little details like this have been neglected for a few years. You might think that the owner ought to tend to these neglects.

As the branches fall to the ground, you can see a bit of fungus growing on them here and there. This causes you to think that, perhaps, the tree has a problem and something should be done about that. If you know the owner, you might suggest they do something to deal with the fungus before it gets out of control. You tell them about a place you've heard about that deals with this kind of issue. When you get home you look up the phone number of the place that can help and give it to the owner. A few days, months, years later, you can see that no action has been taken. What a shame.

The saw is now cutting fairly close to the tree trunk and small bore holes can be seen in the wood. It has a mushy appearance and isn't as solid as a tree should be. At this point anyone can see the tree is in big trouble. If something isn't done soon the tree will die. In fact, it might already be too late. Why doesn't someone do something?!

There comes the day when the tree is gone. How sad. You walk over to examine the stump. It is rotted and riddled with holes caused by something that had damaged the insides of the tree. You now see that the tree was physically, morally and spiritually bankrupt; dead from the inside out. Funny, it didn't look like it....

Have a good and sober day.