Measure yourself against the growth of a tree
“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” - Rabindranath Tagore
My wife and I just bought our first home together. We bought mid-winter in Upstate New York which meant that we never really saw the outdoor space that we were committing ourselves to - it was always covered in at least a foot of snow at the time. Regardless, we bought and we were excited.
In the spring we moved in and were pleasantly surprised to a find a sizeable front and backyard. It had the look of most suburban homes - vast expanses of grass and very little else. It was a great space to grill, play games, and chase the dogs. This space represented a huge upgrade from what we were used to; after years of renting run-down apartments and houses with glorified gravel dirt patches, we finally had space. We enjoyed our own slice of suburban paradise - for a short period - then started to notice how problematic it was.
It dawned on me that this was a massively underutilized space. Our yard was essentially a barren field of grass, frequently fried by the sun, with few critters, no bugs, and no birds. Not much life here. Just dry grass that needed to be mowed with surprising frequency. So much untapped potential.
To begin to address this problem, we started planting trees. And we fell in love with the process. Our vision was to plant trees to begin to turn this area into fertile and productive land for us - and those who come after us - to thrive in.
To be totally clear, I am no ecologist, biologist, or environmentalist. I am no expert. But I am a sucker for a productive activity. And planting trees seems to be the singularly most satisfying and productive thing a human being can do with an hour of their morning - or afternoon, or evening, for that matter. The act of planting a tree has an ecological, climatic, and even psychological ripple effects through long periods of time. From what I can tell, this singular act creates new habitats and fosters biodiversity; creates beauty; and acts as a sponge for CO2 to stem the tide of global climate change. A tree is pure, unadulterated potential.
There is also something romantic about the permanence of planting a tree; to place something that will live and grow with you and provide you (and the earth) value long past your lifetime. In a way, you start to measure your own personal growth alongside the growth of the tree. How cool is that?
My unsolicited advice: spend an hour planting a tree on a warm summer day and reap the benefits forever.
