TREES AND
HURRICANES
"I'm planting a
tree to teach me to gather strength from my deepest roots." Andrea Koehle Jones
The Orlando area suffered serious damage in
Hurricane Irma, but was largely spared the total devastation of South Florida
and the terrible flooding of North Florida. Most of our losses in Central
Florida were caused by falling trees. For example, a client couple in southeast
Orlando lost their home when a large tree in their yard collapsed during the
storm and smashed through their roof, as shown in this picture from a special
Orlando Sentinel supplemental section.
But the losses of trees
in the area were spotty. We didn't lose whole forests in the storm; only an
occasional tree here and there. So why did some trees fall while others stood
tall?
To the casual observer,
it would seem almost arbitrary which trees held up and which trees were toppled
over by the hurricane. But it was not random at all. A closer investigation
would show that some trees had shallow roots, or rotten trunks, or
asymmetrical, unbalanced limb patterns, or were in poor soil. There was in nearly
every case some deeper underlying trait that made certain trees susceptible to
the pressures of the storm.
In a similar way, I have
observed that certain individuals stand strong and resilient when buffeted by
the inevitable headwinds of life. They emerge from these storms tempered and
strengthened by adversity. By contrast, another group of people who face
similar challenges are unable to withstand the difficulties they encounter, and
eventually they buckle under the weight.
A closer examination
revealed that the decisive difference between these two groups was their
willingness in their younger years to confront adversity. The first group took
on the problems and obstacles that came their way, whereas the second sought to
avoid or sidestep difficulties. By fighting through their challenges, the first
group gained competence and confidence in facing the hardships of life, while
the second group, seeking to merely slide by, missed those growth
opportunities.
The
first group learned they can do hard things, which is perhaps one of the most
valuable lessons in life.
This quality of
character - the capacity to face trouble head-on - changes everything about the
person and the trajectory of their life. It assures that when the
winds blow and the tempests rage, they will still be standing. This idea is
aptly described in one of my all-time favorite poems, Good Timber, by
Douglas Malloch:
The tree that never had
to fight
For sun and sky and air
and light,
But stood out in the
open plain
And always got its share
of rain,
Never became a forest
king
But lived and died a
scrubby thing.
The man who never had to
toil
To gain and farm his
patch of soil,
Who never had to win his
share
Of sun and sky and light
and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he
began.
Good timber does not
grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the
stronger trees;
The further sky, the
greater length;
The more the storm, the
more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain
and snow,
In trees and men good
timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the
forest growth,
We find the patriarchs
of both.
And they hold counsel
with the stars
Whose broken branches
show the scars
Of many winds and much
of strife.
This is the common law
of life.
As parents and
grandparents, our natural tendency is to shelter our teenagers and young adults
from the hard times that come their way. A Native American saying warns us
against giving in to this impulse: "What you protect, you make weak."
It's a lesson that's
hard to learn and even harder to apply, especially when it relates to those we
love. But if we don't do so, they unfortunately may never grow up, or may grow
up crippled and unable to cope with life and its challenges.
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