Lesson From Nature

Lesson from Nature

While leaning on the deck rail this morning, appreciating the ocean view and the freshness of the early morning air, I noticed the palms across the street. What? They’ve been there for 20 or 30 years, day in and day out! What was their message today?

There were 10 palms, nine Washingtonian and one coconut. The Washingtonians grew straight and tall. Each one reaching for the sky at their own pace. Some were taller than the rest. In their individuality, there was a recognizable sameness.

Each had a burst of fresh green fronds at the top. The growth was new and vibrant. Up was their only direction. It was relentless. From there the green reached out in all directions. No space in the sun was closed to them. Fronds touched each other, then grew together.

Each tree sported a skirt of brown, dead fronds. They hung down below the green, no longer vital, but still present. Within that mass of detritus, lessons and days gone by lived. There was space for birds and insects and geckos. There, high above the earth, there was safety and shelter. A rat or two patrolled the bushy skirts. Insatiable, their appetites kept the cycle of life and death within the dead fronds at a balance. Birds stayed wary and guarded their young. Their parenting was enhanced by danger.

Among the Washingtonians stood one coconut palm. It was distinctly different. Its trunk was smooth, not prickly and brush covered. There was no skirt of dead fronds, no baggage from pervious growth spurts. They had all dropped off long ago. Lessons learned; they were no longer needed. Upward and forward, the tree grew, leaving the unneeded parts to drop off. A few scars remained on the trunk, but fresh bark soon covered the length of the tree.

Straight? Not a bit. Too close to be intruding on neighboring trees. No way. Just grow in a slightly different direction. Toward the open air. Just enough of an angle was needed to breathe free and grow green and fresh. Never lost among the neighbors, it uniqueness of form made it stand out. Not straight, not symmetrical. Not following a growth pattern and carrying its old growth with it. The coconut palm was unique among the grove. Its feet on the ground and its head in the sky, it stood out from the crowd.

Fronds burst out from the crown. New fruit sheltered in the growth, telling of future trees and more resilience. Each frond was a masterpiece of balance, symmetry, and flexibility in the tropical winds. While its growth followed its own inner commands and adhered to patterns, it coexisted within a diverse group. One among many. Still a palm, but different. Not the tallest, not the shortest, not the greenest, but just itself, and nothing more or less.

Standing there, coffee in hand, I thought of how like the trees we all were. So many, so alike. All serving a purpose with the life we were given. Sheltering, shading, supporting, forming a grove of like and unlike trees. One among many, not adhering to the norm, a lone standout, growing in its own way, stood the lone coconut, still seeking the sun and being a part of the grove.

Self-reflecting, I saw the beauty of the many palms, each serving a purpose, filling a space. Each contributing to the overall beauty and purpose of the grove. Noticing the beauty and uniqueness of the lone coconut to grow in its own way, to be a standout in the crowd, to supplement the good of the others around it. It became more than a tree. It was a lesson. The joy of all the palms together was inspiring. Leaving the earth behind, they reached for the sky.

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