Trees are gifts for unknown beloveds.
Sitting under these giant old walnuts, it is a true and genuine pleasure!
And my heart overflows in gratitude for the person (mama tree? human? squirrell?) who planted this tree.
These specific trees have been in this home for at least 130 years. There are photos of the children who lived here through the turn of the 20th century standing in front of it, and even then it's quite grown.
Trees go backwards and forwards in time. To plant a tree is to care for those ahead of you. And to have gratitude for those past who did the same.
Of course, it's not as though we won't live to see the "benefits" of the trees we plant.
We're in the business of finding and helping along those who will mature the quickest, provide the best homes for pollinators, and have the tastiest fruit, full of seeds for next year. You'll take good care of them while they're young, shelter them from hungry critters, feed them mulch and mushroom spawn. And then -- can you just imagine the pure joy that will come about when you get to crack open the first nuts? And then someday we'll have the pleasure of being old, hobbling thru grown forest gardens, and letting fruit fall into our mouths.
Trees are healers, back and forth in time. They help to pull me out to generational thinking. They make me curious, they drive questions. What was it like when this tree was small? What was going on around them?
The more stories we tell and hear, the more context we create for understanding people's lives beyond our own. The more likely we are to care for them. The more likely we are to take action to feed ones to come.
Take care, and you will be taken care of.
(so basically, if you're not sure whether or not you should plant a tree, my advice would be YES!)